Shloka 34

Manvantara Catalog: Fourteen Manus, Their Sons, Saptarishis, Indras, Deva-Hosts, and the 18 Vidyās

Devanagari script

वरिष्ठश्च गरिष्ठश्च वाचः संगतिरेव च / अश्वत्थामा कृपो व्यासो गालवो दीप्तिमानथ

Transliteration

variṣṭhaśca gariṣṭhaśca vācaḥ saṃgatireva ca / aśvatthāmā kṛpo vyāso gālavo dīptimānatha

Translation

There were ‘the most excellent’ and ‘the most weighty’, and even ‘the very concord of speech’: Aśvatthāmā, Kṛpa, Vyāsa, Gālava, and also the radiant one.

Word by Word

• variṣṭhaḥ: Variṣṭha
• variṣṭhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: variṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (superlative-form used as name)

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

• gariṣṭhaḥ: Gariṣṭha
• gariṣṭhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gariṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (superlative-form used as name)

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

• vācaḥ: of speech
• vācaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāc (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• saṃgatiḥ: Saṃgati (union/association; name)
• saṃgatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃgati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण (emphatic particle)

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

• aśvatthāmā: Aśvatthāmā
• aśvatthāmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśvatthāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kṛpaḥ: Kṛpa
• kṛpaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• vyāsaḥ: Vyāsa
• vyāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• gālavaḥ: Gālava
• gālavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gālava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• dīptimān: Dīptimān
• dīptimān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dīptimat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• atha: then/also
• atha: Discourse connector (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम (then/also)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Śabda (authoritative speech) and learned lineages preserve dharma; ‘vācaḥ saṅgati’ suggests disciplined, truthful, well-fitted speech.

Vedantic Theme: Śabda-pramāṇa and the sanctity of right speech as a vehicle for knowledge.

Application: Cultivate vāṅ-niyama: speak truthfully, aptly, and beneficially; study under competent teachers and respect textual transmission.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana genealogical/ṛṣi lists in the same adhyāya

Characters & Entities

• Ashvatthama
• Kripa
• Vyasa
• Galava

FAQs

What is the importance of praising ‘appropriate speech’ (vācaḥ saṅgati) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights that spiritual instruction should be both authoritative and well-connected in meaning—credible speakers and coherent teaching are treated as marks of dharmic truth.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in the Garuda Purana?

This specific verse does not describe the soul’s journey directly; it functions as a contextual listing/praise of venerable figures and the gravity of the discourse, which frames later teachings (including afterlife doctrine) as trustworthy.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Seek guidance from reliable sources and teachers, and practice truthful, coherent speech—words that are both meaningful and ethically grounded.