Shloka 68
Haristuti-saṅgraha: Devatā–Ṛṣi Praṇāma, Nāma-māhātmya, and Vairāgya from Deha-āsakti
लोकानुवादश्रवणे परमा च शक्तिर्नारायणस्य नमने न च मेस्ति शक्तिः / लोकानुयानकरणे परमा च शक्तिः क्षेत्रादिमार्गगमने परमा ह्यशक्तिः
lokānuvādaśravaṇe paramā ca śaktirnārāyaṇasya namane na ca mesti śaktiḥ / lokānuyānakaraṇe paramā ca śaktiḥ kṣetrādimārgagamane paramā hyaśaktiḥ
Ich habe große Kraft, weltliches Gerede und Klatsch zu hören, doch keine Kraft, mich vor Nārāyaṇa zu verneigen. Ich habe große Kraft, den Menschen nachzulaufen und ihnen zu folgen, doch die größte Unfähigkeit, den heiligen Pfad zu gehen—zu den Tīrthas und dergleichen.
A human speaker (generalized self-confession used by Lord Vishnu in instruction to Garuda about human weakness)
Concept: Human energy is often abundant for worldly talk and conformity but scarce for namana to Nārāyaṇa and for walking the sacred path; redirect effort toward devotion.
Vedantic Theme: Pramāda (spiritual negligence) and viparīta-pravṛtti (misdirected striving); need for saṅkalpa and sādhanā to turn the mind Godward.
Application: Reduce gossip intake; schedule daily namaskāra/japa; replace social chasing with satsang and periodic pilgrimage or local temple visits.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: sacred route/pilgrimage path
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: admonitions against pramāda and loka-vāda; praise of tīrtha-yātrā and nārāyaṇa-namana
FAQs
The verse contrasts easy attraction to worldly talk with the lack of inner strength to bow to Nārāyaṇa, teaching that bhakti requires deliberate cultivation rather than social momentum.
It highlights the moral cause behind an adverse post-death trajectory: when a person lacks discipline for sacred paths (dharma, kṣetra-yātrā, worship), they accumulate tendencies that hinder spiritual progress and invite suffering described in the Preta-kāṇḍa context.
Reduce time spent on gossip and crowd-following; replace it with daily namaskāra to Nārāyaṇa and small, consistent dharmic acts (japa, charity, temple visit or sacred study) to build real spiritual “strength.”