Shloka 4

Devanagari script

अष्टादशभुजां खेटकं घण्टां दर्पणं तर्जनीम् / धनुर्ध्वजं डमरुकं परशुं पाशमेव च

Transliteration

aṣṭādaśabhujāṃ kheṭakaṃ ghaṇṭāṃ darpaṇaṃ tarjanīm / dhanurdhvajaṃ ḍamarukaṃ paraśuṃ pāśameva ca

Translation

She is eighteen-armed, bearing a shield, a bell, a mirror, and an admonishing finger; also a bow, a banner, a ḍamaru drum, an axe, and a noose as well.

Word by Word

• aṣṭādaśa-bhujām: (her) eighteen-armed (one)
• aṣṭādaśa-bhujām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭādaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + bhuja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः द्विगुः (अष्टादश भुजाः यस्याः सा)

• kheṭakam: shield
• kheṭakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kheṭaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ghaṇṭām: bell
• ghaṇṭām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghaṇṭā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• darpaṇam: mirror
• darpaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darpaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tarjanīm: index finger (gesture)
• tarjanīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tarjanī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• dhanuḥ-dhvajam: banner of the bow / bow-banner
• dhanuḥ-dhvajam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanuḥ (प्रातिपदिक) + dhvaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धनुषः ध्वजः)

• ḍamarukam: ḍamaru drum
• ḍamarukam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ḍamaruka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• paraśum: axe
• paraśum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paraśu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• pāśam: noose
• pāśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

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

Speaker

Lord Viṣṇu (addressing Garuḍa/Vinatā-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dhyāna of the Devī through detailed āyudha-dhāraṇa (weapon-bearing) to invoke protection and siddhi.

Vedantic Theme: Īśvara-upāsanā as a support for citta-śuddhi and ekāgratā (one-pointedness).

Application: Use as a visualization checklist during japa/nyāsa: mentally place each implement in the corresponding hand and contemplate its protective function.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: raudra

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.38.5 (continuation of eighteen-armed dhyāna); Garuda Purana 1.38.6-8 (mantra and japa-vidhi that follow the dhyāna)

FAQs

What is the importance of describing an eighteen-armed form in the Garuda Purana?

Such descriptions function as dhyāna (meditative visualization) and stotra-style identification, emphasizing the deity’s many powers—protection, restraint of evil, and upholding dharma—through symbolic weapons and emblems.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Indirectly: it highlights protective divine power invoked through ritual and remembrance, which the Garuda Purana often presents as supportive for spiritual steadiness and dharmic living—foundational for a favorable afterlife journey.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use the verse as a brief dhyāna: contemplate the symbols—mirror (self-reflection), noose (restraint), bell/drum (wakefulness), and axe (cutting harmful habits)—as daily ethical disciplines.