Shloka 28

Devanagari script

तथा हि रज्जुरुरगः शुक्तिः कारजतं यथा / मृगतृष्णापथायाम्भस्तृप्तिं विष्णो तथा जगत्

Transliteration

tathā hi rajjururagaḥ śuktiḥ kārajataṃ yathā / mṛgatṛṣṇāpathāyāmbhastṛptiṃ viṣṇo tathā jagat

Translation

Just as a rope is mistaken for a snake, and mother-of-pearl for silver, and as the water seen on the road as a mirage cannot bring true satisfaction—so too, O Viṣṇu, is this world: an appearance born of delusion, not a source of real fulfillment.

Word by Word

• tathā: thus
• tathā: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तुलनार्थ-निपातः) — “thus/likewise”

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Emphasis/Reason)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (हेतु/निश्चय-निपातः) — particle “indeed/for”

• rajjuḥ: rope
• rajjuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rajju (रज्जु-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — nominative singular

• uragaḥ: snake
• uragaḥ: Karta (Appositional/प्रथमा-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uraga (उरग-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — nominative singular (as mistaken appearance)

• śuktiḥ: mother-of-pearl shell
• śuktiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śukti (शुक्ति-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — nominative singular

• kā-rajatam: (illusory) silver
• kā-rajatam: Karta (Appositional/प्रथमा-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kā (का-प्रातिपदिक; interrogative/indefinite used idiomatically) + rajata (रजत-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — “what-silver?/pseudo-silver”; समासः: कर्मधारय (क-रजत = false silver)

• yathā: just as
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमानार्थ-निपातः) — “just as”

• mṛga-tṛṣṇā-pathāya: for the mirage-path
• mṛga-tṛṣṇā-pathāya: Sampradana (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛga (मृग-प्रातिपदिक) + tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा-प्रातिपदिक) + patha (पथ-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन — dative singular; समासः: तत्पुरुष (मृगतृष्णायाः पथः)

• ambhaḥ: water
• ambhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ambhas (अम्भस्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — nominative/accusative singular “water”

• tṛptim: satisfaction
• tṛptim: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tṛpti (तृप्ति-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — accusative singular

• viṣṇo: O Viṣṇu
• viṣṇo: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (विष्णु-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — vocative singular

• tathā: so
• tathā: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तुलनार्थ-निपातः) — “so/likewise”

• jagat: the world
• jagat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (जगत्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — nominative singular

Speaker

Garuda (Vinata-putra), addressing Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Rope-snake, shell-silver, and mirage-water illustrate that the world’s seeming satisfactions are delusive; true fulfillment is not gained from appearances—turn to Viṣṇu/Reality.

Vedantic Theme: Māyā/avidyā producing mithyā-prapañca; vairāgya as a prerequisite for jñāna; Brahman/Viṣṇu as satya and ānanda.

Application: When craving arises, test it like mirage-water: will it truly satisfy? Redirect attention to lasting values—devotion, inquiry, and ethical steadiness; cultivate dispassion without cynicism.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Geographic Context

Type: wilderness route

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.236.24-27 (knowledge, delusion, superimposition, misconstrual)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of the rope-snake analogy in the Garuda Purana?

It shows how ignorance causes misperception: the world seems absolutely real and fulfilling, but like a rope mistaken for a snake, it is experienced wrongly until true knowledge arises.

How does this verse relate to the soul’s journey and afterlife teachings?

By stressing that mirage-like satisfactions cannot quench real thirst, it supports the Purana’s broader message: attachment to transient pleasures leads to repeated suffering, while discernment and devotion lead toward liberation beyond death.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Practice viveka (discernment): reduce obsession with status and possessions, strengthen dharma and devotion, and seek lasting inner clarity rather than temporary sensory “relief.”