Shloka 36

The Explanation of Various Gifts (Dāna) and the Soul’s Entry into Another Body

Devanagari script

अस्थि शुक्रं तथा स्नायुः देहेन सह दह्यते / एष ते कथितस्तार्क्ष्य विनाशः सर्वदेहिनाम्

Transliteration

asthi śukraṃ tathā snāyuḥ dehena saha dahyate / eṣa te kathitastārkṣya vināśaḥ sarvadehinām

Translation

Knochen, Samen und Sehnen verbrennen zusammen mit dem Körper. So, o Tārkṣya, habe ich dir den Untergang aller verkörperten Wesen erklärt.

Word by Word

• अस्थि: bone
• अस्थि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्थि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; collective sense (bone)

• शुक्रम्: semen
• शुक्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• तथा: also; likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/तुल्यतासूचक (also/likewise)

• स्नायुः: sinew; tendon
• स्नायुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नायु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• देहेन: with/by the body
• देहेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; साधन/सहकारकभाव

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahārtha (Accompaniment/सहार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक (with)

• दह्यते: is burned
• दह्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• एषः: this
• एषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (6/4), एकवचन; enclitic; here: चतुर्थी (to you)

• कथितः: told; described
• कथितः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथित (कृदन्त; √कथ् धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; predicate participle

• तार्क्ष्य: O Tārkṣya (Garuda)
• तार्क्ष्य: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तार्क्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• विनाशः: destruction
• विनाशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विनाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• सर्वदेहिनाम्: of all embodied beings
• सर्वदेहिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; समास: सर्व-देहिनाम् = of all embodied beings

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Tārkṣya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Deha-nāśa (destruction of the body) is inevitable for all embodied beings; bodily constituents are perishable.

Vedantic Theme: Anityatva of the body; distinction between deha and ātman; impetus toward vairāgya.

Application: Contemplate death to reduce clinging to the body; prioritize dharma and remembrance of Hari over bodily identity.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: ritual/liminal space

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: descriptions of death, cremation, and impermanence (general thematic parallel); Garuda Purana: teachings on deha-asāratā and vairāgya (general)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Tārkṣya

FAQs

What is the importance of cremation and bodily dissolution in the Garuda Purana?

This verse emphasizes that even the most enduring bodily constituents—bones, reproductive essence, and sinews—are consumed with the body, underscoring the inevitability of physical dissolution after death.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

By stressing the complete destruction of the gross body, the verse sets the doctrinal basis that the soul’s journey continues independent of the physical frame, aligning with the Garuda Purana’s broader after-death narrative.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Reflect on the body’s impermanence to reduce attachment and prioritize dharma, ethical conduct, and meaningful rites for the departed rather than excessive identification with physical form.