Shloka 20
Vīrya, Māyā/Prakṛti, Śrī’s Inseparability, Paramāṇu, and Hari’s Infinitude
गरुड उवाच / स्त्रिया स्त्रियश्च संयोगं व्यर्थमहुर्मनीषिणः / स्त्रीरूपभूते विंबे तु स्त्रीरूपाः सन्ति सर्वदा
garuḍa uvāca / striyā striyaśca saṃyogaṃ vyarthamahurmanīṣiṇaḥ / strīrūpabhūte viṃbe tu strīrūpāḥ santi sarvadā
Garuḍa sprach: Die Weisen erklären, dass die Vereinigung einer Frau mit einer Frau fruchtlos sei. Denn in einem Leib, der als weibliches Abbild erscheint, sind weibliche Gestalten stets gegenwärtig.
Garuḍa (Vinātā-putra)
Concept: Distinguishing symbolic/theological ‘forms’ from literalized bodily categories; the speaker frames certain unions as ‘fruitless’ to argue about the logic of form and manifestation.
Vedantic Theme: Upādhi-bheda vs. svarūpa; caution against reifying bodily categories when discussing divine manifestation.
Application: When reading puranic theology, separate descriptive imagery from prescriptive social ethics; interpret ‘fruitless’ claims as part of an argument about manifestation-logic, not as a blanket metaphysical reduction of persons.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.3.19 (context: imagining gender in Hari); Garuda Purana 3.3.22-23 (Śrī’s inseparability; innumerable feminine manifestations)
FAQs
This verse frames a dharma-based evaluation of sexual unions, presenting the sages’ view that certain unions are considered without intended result and therefore classified as ‘vyartha’ within the text’s ethical discourse.
Indirectly: by defining what is considered dharmic or non-productive conduct, it supports the broader Garuda Purana theme that actions (karma) and moral discipline shape consequences after death, even when this verse itself does not describe Yama’s path.
Use it as a prompt for self-restraint and ethical reflection in personal conduct, aligning one’s choices with one’s tradition’s dharma framework and the wider karmic accountability emphasized in the Garuda Purana.