Shloka 25

Āyuḥ-kṣaya by Vikarma; Impermanence of the Body; Aśauca and Child Śrāddha Procedures; Dāna as Remedy

Devanagari script

अवेक्ष्य गर्भवासांश्च कर्मजा गतयस्तथा / मानुषोदरवासी चेत्तदा भवति पातकी

Transliteration

avekṣya garbhavāsāṃśca karmajā gatayastathā / mānuṣodaravāsī cettadā bhavati pātakī

Translation

Wenn man die vielen Aufenthalte im Mutterleib und die durch Karma hervorgebrachten Wege der Wiedergeburt betrachtet und dennoch wählt, wieder ein Bewohner eines menschlichen Leibes im Schoß zu sein, dann wird man zum Sünder.

Word by Word

• अवेक्ष्य: having considered/looking at
• अवेक्ष्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावेन प्रयोगः; धातुः ईक्ष्, उपसर्गः अव-; अर्थे ‘दृष्ट्वा/विचार्य’

• गर्भवासान्: dwells in the womb (womb-dwellings)
• गर्भवासान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ-वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गर्भस्य वासः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• कर्मजा: born of karma
• कर्मजा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर्म-ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; ‘गतयः’ इति विशेषणम्; समासः तत्पुरुषः (कर्मणः जाताः)

• गतयः: courses/destinies
• गतयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (adverb: ‘likewise/so’)

• मानुषोदरवासी: one dwelling in a human womb
• मानुषोदरवासी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष-उदर-वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (मानुषस्य उदरे वासी)

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Sambandha (Condition-marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-निपात (conditional particle ‘if’)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb ‘then’)

• भवति: becomes
• भवति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• पातकी: a sinner
• पातकी: Kartṛ-predicative (Subject complement/कर्तृपूरक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पातकिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; कर्तृवाचक-नाम (agent noun)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Repeated birth is driven by karma; knowingly consenting to return to womb-bound existence is spiritual failure (pātaka) and a rejection of liberation.

Vedantic Theme: Saṃsāra-duḥkha and avidyā as the cause of rebirth; vairāgya as a prerequisite for mokṣa.

Application: Contemplate the hardships of gestation and rebirth to cultivate detachment; prioritize sādhanā now rather than postponing transformation to ‘another life’.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: embodied microcosm

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: descriptions of the jīva’s post-death journey and rebirth causation (adjacent adhyāyas on karma and gati); Garuda Purana: teachings on vairāgya and the urgency of bhakti/śravaṇa before death

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Karma
• Garbha (womb)

FAQs

What is the importance of garbhavāsa (womb-dwelling) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse uses garbhavāsa as a vivid reminder of suffering and limitation in embodied existence, urging detachment from repeated rebirth and a turn toward liberation-oriented living.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul through karma?

It states that the soul’s “gatayaḥ” (destinies) are generated by karma, and that knowingly choosing to continue the cycle—returning again to the womb—marks spiritual negligence described here as pātaka.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with awareness of consequences: reduce harmful actions, cultivate dharma and devotion, and prioritize practices aimed at inner freedom rather than repeating patterns that bind one to samsara.