Shloka 19

Devanagari script

चिन्तासहस्रेषु च तेषु मध्ये चिन्ताश्चतस्रो ऽप्यसिधारतुल्याः / नीचापमानं क्षुधितं कलत्रं भार्या विरक्ता सहजोपरोधः

Transliteration

cintāsahasreṣu ca teṣu madhye cintāścatasro 'pyasidhāratulyāḥ / nīcāpamānaṃ kṣudhitaṃ kalatraṃ bhāryā viraktā sahajoparodhaḥ

Translation

Among thousands of anxieties, four are as sharp as a sword’s edge: humiliation at the hands of the low; a hungry, dependent spouse; a wife grown dispassionate toward her husband; and obstruction arising from one’s own kin.

Word by Word

• चिन्ता: worry, anxiety
• चिन्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिन्ता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• सहस्रेषु: among thousands
• सहस्रेषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), बहुवचन

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

• तेषु: among those
• तेषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), बहुवचन

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन (अव्ययीभावार्थे ‘मध्ये’ = in the midst)

• चिन्ताः: worries
• चिन्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिन्ता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन

• चतस्रः: four
• चतस्रः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतस् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (विशेषण)

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; concessive/emphatic)

• असिधारातुल्याः: like the edge of a sword
• असिधारातुल्याः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: असि-धारा-तुल्य (प्रातिपदिक; असि(खड्ग)+धारा(धार)+तुल्य)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; ‘असिधारायाः तुल्याः’ (genitive-tatpurusha)

• नीचापमानम्: base insult, humiliation
• नीचापमानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नीच-अपमान (प्रातिपदिक; नीच+अपमान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन (समाहार/नाम)

• क्षुधितम्: hunger (being hungry)
• क्षुधितम्: Karta (Appositional/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षुध् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय) → क्षुधित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle)

• कलत्रम्: wife/spouse
• कलत्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• भार्या: wife
• भार्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• विरक्ता: disaffected, estranged
• विरक्ता: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-रञ्ज् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय) → विरक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• सहजोपरोधः: natural obstruction/impediment
• सहजोपरोधः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहज-उपरोध (प्रातिपदिक; सहज+उपरोध)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; ‘सहजः उपरोधः’ (karmadharaya/tatpurusha sense: natural obstruction)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Worldly life is pierced by specific social and domestic afflictions; guarding dignity, right relations, and self-reliance reduces suffering.

Vedantic Theme: Samsara-duhkha (the inherent unsatisfactoriness of conditioned life) and the fragility of happiness dependent on external relations.

Application: Cultivate respectful associations, avoid degrading dependence, maintain harmony and mutual regard in marriage, and manage kin-relations with boundaries and fairness.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.115 (niti/dharma-style aphorisms on sorrow, senses, conduct)

FAQs

What is the importance of identifying major anxieties in the Garuda Purana?

This verse isolates the most piercing forms of worldly distress—social humiliation, hunger within the household, marital disaffection, and family obstruction—so a practitioner can respond with dharma, restraint, and wise conduct rather than being ruled by fear.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in the Garuda Purana narrative?

Indirectly: by highlighting how attachment, conflict, and dependency intensify suffering in embodied life, it supports the Purana’s broader instruction that disciplined living and right action reduce bondage and prepare one for a better post-death journey.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Guard speech and reputation through ethical conduct, ensure food/security for dependents, cultivate mutual respect in marriage, and set clear boundaries with relatives—so the mind remains steady for dharma and spiritual practice.