Shloka 127

An exposition on the fruits of charity and on entry into a body

Garbhotpatti, Piṇḍa-śarīra, and Antya-kāla-kriyā

Devanagari script

सुखं दुः खं भयं क्षेमं कर्मणैवाभिपद्यते / अधोमुखं चोर्ध्वपादं गर्भाद्वायुः प्रकर्षति

Transliteration

sukhaṃ duḥ khaṃ bhayaṃ kṣemaṃ karmaṇaivābhipadyate / adhomukhaṃ cordhvapādaṃ garbhādvāyuḥ prakarṣati

Translation

Glück und Leid, Furcht und Geborgenheit—all dies erlangt man allein durch das eigene Karma. Und aus dem Mutterleib zieht der Lebenshauch den Fötus mit Macht hervor, das Gesicht nach unten und die Füße nach oben, zur Geburt hin.

Word by Word

• sukham: happiness
• sukham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• duḥkham: sorrow
• duḥkham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• kṣemam: security, well-being
• kṣemam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣema (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• karmaṇā: by karma
• karmaṇā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• eva: alone, indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात

• abhipadyate: attains, experiences
• abhipadyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-pad (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• adho-mukham: face-down
• adho-mukham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhas (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; अधो मुखं यस्य तत् (कर्मधारय)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात

• ūrdhva-pādam: feet-up (with feet upwards)
• ūrdhva-pādam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; ऊर्ध्वाः पादाः यस्य तत् (कर्मधारय)

• garbhāt: from the womb
• garbhāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garbha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन

• vāyuḥ: wind, vital air
• vāyuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• prakarṣati: drags, pulls forth
• prakarṣati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-kṛṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Medical Ayurveda

Dosha: Vata

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: All experiential pairs—pleasure/pain, fear/safety—arise from karma; even the process of birth is propelled by vital wind in accordance with embodied destiny.

Vedantic Theme: Dvanda-anubhava (experience of opposites) under karma; prāṇa as instrument within prakṛti while the jīva reaps prior causes.

Application: Respond to life’s opposites with equanimity and ethical resolve; create better karma through right action and inner discipline.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: bodily interior / liminal passage

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: garbha descriptions and karmic allocation of sukha-duḥkha; prāṇa/vāyu roles in embodiment

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Vayu (Prana)

FAQs

What is the importance of karma in Garuda Purana according to this verse?

The verse states that pleasure, pain, fear, and security arise from one’s own karma alone, emphasizing personal moral causality across life-cycles.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in relation to birth and rebirth?

By linking experiences to karma and describing the fetus being driven out by prāṇa (vital wind), it frames birth itself as part of the karmic journey that continues beyond death.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate ethical actions and self-discipline, since future well-being and suffering are portrayed as consequences of one’s deeds rather than chance.