Shloka 4

Mukti-tattva Upadeśa: Knowledge as the Direct Cause of Liberation

Devanagari script

सदा दुः खातुरा एव न सखी विद्यते क्कचित् / केनोपायेन मोक्षेश मुच्यन्ते वद मे प्रभो

Transliteration

sadā duḥ khāturā eva na sakhī vidyate kkacit / kenopāyena mokṣeśa mucyante vada me prabho

Translation

Stets sind sie vom Leid bedrängt; nirgends finden sie einen Gefährten. O Herr der Befreiung, durch welches Mittel werden sie erlöst? Sage es mir, o Meister.

Word by Word

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय; adverb of time

• दुःख-आतुराः: afflicted by sorrow
• दुःख-आतुराः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक) + आतुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (दुःखेन आतुराः); nominative plural masculine

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Nipata (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय; emphatic particle

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय; negation particle

• सखी: a friend
• सखी: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सखी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; nominative singular feminine

• विद्यते: exists/is found
• विद्यते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; present indicative, 3rd person singular (Ātmanepada)

• क्वचित्: anywhere/ever
• क्वचित्: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/कालवाचक-अव्यय; indefinite adverb (anywhere/ever)

• केन: by what (means)
• केन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; instrumental singular (by what/with what)

• उपायेन: by a method/means
• उपायेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; instrumental singular

• मोक्ष-ईश: O Lord of liberation
• मोक्ष-ईश: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मोक्षस्य ईशः); vocative singular masculine

• मुच्यन्ते: are freed
• मुच्यन्ते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; present indicative, 3rd person plural (Ātmanepada), कर्मणि-प्रयोगभावः (are released)

• वद: tell
• वद: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; imperative, 2nd person singular (Parasmaipada)

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन; dative singular (to me)

• प्रभो: O Lord
• प्रभो: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; vocative singular masculine

Speaker

Garuda (Vinata-putra), addressing Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Worldly companionship cannot remove existential suffering; only the Lord’s taught upāya frees beings from bondage.

Vedantic Theme: Duḥkha as a marker of bondage; necessity of a transcendent means (upāya) and divine guidance; movement from anātha-bhāva to īśvara-āśraya.

Application: When facing suffering, shift from seeking mere external fixes to adopting a liberation-oriented discipline: prayer, study, self-inquiry, and steady practice under guidance.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: existential condition of beings in saṃsāra (metaphorical)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.49: climactic question that invites the forthcoming exposition of mokṣa-upāya.

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Vishnu
• Moksha

FAQs

What is the importance of seeking an upāya (means) for moksha in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames the core concern of the Preta Kanda: beings suffer in isolation and grief, and Garuda asks Vishnu for the specific means (upāya) by which such suffering is ended through liberation.

How does this verse explain the condition of the suffering being after death?

It emphasizes continuous sorrow and lack of support—highlighting the lonely, distressed state that motivates the inquiry into the liberating remedy taught by Vishnu in the surrounding discourse.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate a life oriented to dharma and liberation—reduce harm and attachment, pursue spiritual discipline and devotion—so that sorrow is not prolonged and the mind is prepared for release.