Shloka 5

Śivarātri Vrata: Timing, Accidental Merit, and the Complete Night-Vigil Procedure

Devanagari script

मृगादि कमसंप्राप्य क्षुत्पिपासार्दितो गिरौ / रात्रौ तडागतीरेषु निकुञ्जे जाग्रदास्थितः

Transliteration

mṛgādi kamasaṃprāpya kṣutpipāsārdito girau / rātrau taḍāgatīreṣu nikuñje jāgradāsthitaḥ

Translation

Reaching on the mountain a small hollow, a shelter used by deer and other beasts, tormented by hunger and thirst, he kept vigil through the night in a thicket by the banks of ponds.

Word by Word

• मृगादि: deer and the like
• मृगादि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (मृगादि = मृग-आदि ‘deer etc.’)

• कमम्: a water-pot (kamandalu/pot)
• कमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• संप्राप्य: having obtained
• संप्राप्य: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + प्र + आप् (धातु) → संप्राप्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), ‘having obtained/reached’

• क्षुत्पिपासार्दितः: afflicted by hunger and thirst
• क्षुत्पिपासार्दितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षुत् + पिपासा + अर्दित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्व (क्षुत्-पिपासा) + तद्धित/कृदन्त ‘अर्दित’ = ‘afflicted by hunger and thirst’

• गिरौ: on the mountain
• गिरौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (कालाधिकरण)

• तडागतीरेषु: on the banks of the pond
• तडागतीरेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तडाग + तीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (तीर), सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (तडागस्य तीरम्)

• निकुञ्जे: in a grove
• निकुञ्जे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निकुञ्ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• जाग्रत्: awake
• जाग्रत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जागृ (धातु) → जाग्रत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle), अव्ययभावेन पूर्वपद; अर्थः ‘awake’

• आस्थितः: remained/stood
• आस्थितः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + स्था (धातु) → आस्थित (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग प्रथमा एकवचन; अर्थः ‘stood/remained’

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vainateya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even unplanned circumstances can become karmically significant when they place one in proximity to sacred objects and acts.

Vedantic Theme: Adṛṣṭa (unseen moral causality) shaping outcomes beyond conscious intent.

Application: Maintain mindfulness and reverence even in hardship; small actions in liminal moments may bear disproportionate fruit.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: wilderness/mountain-forest/pond-bank

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana, Pretakalpa narratives on accidental merit (ajñāta-puṇya) and the power of contact with liṅga/holy symbols; Garuda Purana, discussions of karma-phala ripening at kāla (appointed time)

FAQs

What is the importance of describing hunger and thirst in the Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights the preta’s distressful, unsettled condition—driven by karmic consequences and lack of support—emphasizing why prescribed rites and dharmic living are taught as remedies.

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

It portrays an intermediate, wandering state where the being seeks makeshift shelter and remains anxious and wakeful at night—indicating instability and suffering prior to proper ritual and spiritual resolution.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with restraint and compassion to avoid harmful karma, and when a death occurs in the family, perform the appropriate śrāddha/charitable acts with sincerity to support the departed and cultivate dharma.