Shloka 53

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

Devanagari script

ऋतधामा च भद्रे (तत्रे) न्द्रस्तारको नाम तद्रिपुः / हरिर्नपुंसकं भूत्वा घातयिष्यति शङ्कर

Transliteration

ṛtadhāmā ca bhadre (tatre) ndrastārako nāma tadripuḥ / harirnapuṃsakaṃ bhūtvā ghātayiṣyati śaṅkara

Translation

O Bhadre, there an Indra named Tāraka will arise, an enemy to him. Hari (Viṣṇu), assuming a neuter (sexless) form, will cause Śaṅkara (Śiva) to slay him.

Word by Word

• ऋतधामा: Ṛtadhāmā (a name)
• ऋतधामा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋत (प्रातिपदिक) + धामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषः (ऋतं धाम यस्य/ऋतस्य धाम) ; नाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• भद्रे: in/at (the) auspicious (place); or 'O Bhadra'
• भद्रे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; संबोधन-प्रयोगः अपि सम्भवः (O auspicious one)

• इन्द्रः: Indra (a name)
• इन्द्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नाम

• तारकः: Tāraka (a name)
• तारकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नाम

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Modifier
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, नामनिर्देशार्थ (indeclinable: 'by name')

• तत्: his/that
• तत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; (सम्बन्धे)

• रिपुः: enemy
• रिपुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रिपु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• हरिः: Hari (Vishnu)
• हरिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विष्णु-नाम

• नपुंसकम्: neuter (sex)
• नपुंसकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नपुंसक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (predicate complement)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Gerundial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having become)

• घातयिष्यति: will cause to be slain / will kill
• घातयिष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: घातय् (णिच् causative of हन्/घ्ना धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; causative (प्रेरणार्थ)

• शङ्कर: O Śaṅkara
• शङ्कर: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th), एकवचन; संबोधन

Speaker

Narrative/prophetic voice within the Purāṇic narration (speaker uncertain from single-verse excerpt; commonly framed as a Purāṇic narrator conveying prophecy).

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Hari’s līlā: divine adaptability (even assuming an atypical form) to restore dharma and enable the defeat of an adversary.

Vedantic Theme: Īśvara-līlā and dharma-saṃsthāpana (restoration of order); the divine transcends gender/form for cosmic purpose.

Application: When confronting harm, combine devotion with intelligent strategy; do not cling to rigid identity-forms when dharma requires skillful means.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana narrative/cosmology sequence around 1.87 describing future Indras and conflicts

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Vishnu)
• Shankara (Shiva)
• Indra
• Taraka

FAQs

What is the importance of Hari–Hara unity in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents Viṣṇu (Hari) and Śiva (Śaṅkara) acting in coordination—Hari takes a particular form and Śaṅkara becomes the agent of slaying—highlighting complementary divine functions rather than rivalry.

How does this verse relate to the Garuda Purana’s broader themes?

While much of the Garuda Purana is sought for afterlife instruction, it also preserves Purāṇic cosmology and prophetic episodes; this verse belongs to that wider narrative layer about divine order and the removal of hostile forces.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

A takeaway is to value cooperation in dharmic action: different roles and capacities can work together toward a righteous outcome, mirroring the coordinated action of Hari and Śaṅkara described here.