Shloka 48

Brahma-vidyā through Yoga: Restraint, Pranava Japa, and Samādhi leading to Mokṣa

Devanagari script

विलम्बजनकाः सर्वे विस्तराः परिकीर्तिताः / शिशुपालः सिद्धिमाप स्मरणाभ्यासगौरवात्

Transliteration

vilambajanakāḥ sarve vistarāḥ parikīrtitāḥ / śiśupālaḥ siddhimāpa smaraṇābhyāsagauravāt

Translation

All elaborate digressions are said to cause delay; yet Śiśupāla attained liberation through the great power of repeated remembrance of the Lord.

Word by Word

• विलम्बजनकाः: causing delay
• विलम्बजनकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विलम्ब-जनक (प्रातिपदिक; विलम्ब + जनक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण—‘जनक’ = कारण, ‘विलम्ब’ = विलम्बस्य जनकः

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• विस्तराः: elaborations, details
• विस्तराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विस्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• परिकीर्तिताः: have been declared
• परिकीर्तिताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-कीर्त् (धातु) → परिकीर्तित (कृदन्त, क्त/PPP)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग—‘have been proclaimed’

• शिशुपालः: Śiśupāla
• शिशुपालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिशुपाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सिद्धिम्: attainment, perfection
• सिद्धिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आप: attained
• आप: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• स्मरणाभ्यासगौरवात्: due to the weight/intensity of practice of remembrance
• स्मरणाभ्यासगौरवात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्मरण-अभ्यास-गौरव (प्रातिपदिक; स्मरण + अभ्यास + गौरव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेतौ—‘गौरवात्’ = कारणात्

Speaker

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

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Smaraṇa-abhyāsa (repeated remembrance of the Lord) has transformative power that can override even adverse dispositions, leading to siddhi/mukti.

Vedantic Theme: Antaḥkaraṇa-śuddhi through single-pointed vṛtti; the object of fixation (Hari) purifies the mind and dissolves bondage.

Application: Reduce spiritual ‘digressions’; adopt daily disciplined nāma-smaraṇa or mantra-japa with consistency and single-pointed attention.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana (Moksha/Jnana sections): emphasis on smaraṇa, dhyāna, yoga leading to mukti (adjacent verses 1.235.49-52)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Garuda
• Śiśupāla

FAQs

What is the importance of remembrance (smaraṇa) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse elevates sustained remembrance as spiritually decisive—so powerful that even an opponent like Śiśupāla reaches siddhi through repeated fixation on the Lord.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

It implies that inner orientation at the level of mind—habitual remembrance—can determine the soul’s final attainment more than prolonged external elaborations that ‘delay’ the essential goal.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Reduce distractions and cultivate daily, repeated remembrance (nāma-japa, meditation, mindful recall of dharma), prioritizing steady practice over excessive, time-consuming digressions.