Shloka 4

Devanagari script

दण्डी शस्त्रधरो भिक्षुर्न ग्नादिः कालदूतकः / बाहौ च वक्क्रे ग्रीवायां दष्टायां न हि जीवति

Transliteration

daṇḍī śastradharo bhikṣurna gnādiḥ kāladūtakaḥ / bāhau ca vakkre grīvāyāṃ daṣṭāyāṃ na hi jīvati

Translation

A staff-bearing mendicant, weapon in hand—an emissary of Kāla (Time, Death)—bites; and if one is bitten on the arm, the face, or the neck, one does not survive.

Word by Word

• दण्डी: a staff-bearer
• दण्डी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daṇḍin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• शस्त्रधरः: weapon-bearer
• शस्त्रधरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śastra + dhara (प्रातिपदिक + प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (शस्त्रं धरति)

• भिक्षुः: mendicant
• भिक्षुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhikṣu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• नग्नादिः: naked and the like (one of such appearance)
• नग्नादिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nagna + ādi (प्रातिपदिक + प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘आदि’ सहितः (नग्नः इत्यादि-लक्षणः)

• कालदूतकः: messenger of Death (Time)
• कालदूतकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla + dūtaka (प्रातिपदिक + प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कालस्य दूतकः)

• बाहौ: in the arm
• बाहौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• वक्क्रे: in the mouth/face
• वक्क्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• ग्रीवायाम्: in the neck
• ग्रीवायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grīvā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• दष्टायाम्: in the bitten spot
• दष्टायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daś (धातु) → daṣṭa (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (भूतकर्मणि), ‘दष्टा’ = दंश-स्थिति/दष्ट-स्थान (bite)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Nipata (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/emphatic particle)

• जीवति: lives, survives
• जीवति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jīv (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

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

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Certain events manifest as near-inevitable death; recognition of mortality and the severity of specific injuries.

Vedantic Theme: Mṛtyu-smaraṇa (mindfulness of death) prompting urgency, detachment, and right action.

Application: Treat bites to arm/face/neck as critical; act immediately; maintain composure and invoke protective measures without delay.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: raudra

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: death-messenger (kāla-dūta/yama-dūta) imagery elsewhere, though here applied to snakebite (thematic parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Kāladūta (messengers of Death/Time)

FAQs

What is the importance of Kāladūtas in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents Kāladūtas as death’s emissaries whose arrival signifies the inevitability of death, reinforcing the Purana’s theme of preparing for the after-death journey through dharma and proper rites.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By emphasizing the fatal moment of being ‘seized’ by death’s agents, it frames death as the threshold after which the jīva transitions into the post-mortem state described in the Preta Kanda (requiring guidance through rites and dharmic merit).

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with awareness of impermanence: prioritize dharma, reduce harmful actions, and ensure family preparedness for end-of-life duties (antyeṣṭi and related observances) rather than postponing ethical and spiritual practice.