Shloka 63

Means to Liberation: Supremacy of Hari, Proper Salutations, and Purāṇic Authority

Devanagari script

पाशुपत्यं रैणुकं च भैरवं च तथैव च / एतानि तामसान्याहुर्हरितत्त्वार्थवेदिनः

Transliteration

pāśupatyaṃ raiṇukaṃ ca bhairavaṃ ca tathaiva ca / etāni tāmasānyāhurharitattvārthavedinaḥ

Translation

The Pāśupata, the Raiṇuka, and likewise the Bhairava—those who truly know the principles and purport of Hari declare these to be tāmasic, born of darkness and ignorance.

Word by Word

• pāśupatyam: Pāśupatya (text)
• pāśupatyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāśupatya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; item in a list (name of a Purāṇa/Āgama)

• raiṇukam: Raiṇuka (text)
• raiṇukam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raiṇuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; item in a list

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

• bhairavam: Bhairava (text)
• bhairavam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhairava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; item in a list

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

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (अवधारण)

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

• etāni: these
• etāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Plural; demonstrative pronoun

• tāmasāni: tāmasa (of darkness)
• tāmasāni: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tāmasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Plural; qualifying etāni

• āhuḥ: they say
• āhuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ah (अह् धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd Person, Plural

• hari-tattva-artha-vedinaḥ: knowers of Hari’s true meaning
• hari-tattva-artha-vedinaḥ: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक) + tattva (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक) + vedin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; ‘knowers of the meaning of Hari’s principle/reality’

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Viveka in scriptural engagement: those who know Hari-tattva deem certain texts tāmasic, implying they may foster delusion or lower tendencies.

Vedantic Theme: Guṇa-traya discernment; epistemic caution—content that increases tamas obstructs clarity (sattva) needed for higher realization.

Application: Approach teachings with discernment; prefer materials that increase sattva (clarity, compassion, devotion) and reduce tamas (confusion, cruelty, inertia).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.1.61-64 (rājasa/tāmasa/superiority framing)

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Pāśupata
• Bhairava

FAQs

What is the importance of classifying practices as tāmasic in the Garuda Purana?

This verse uses the guṇa framework to judge spiritual methods: tāmasic paths are said to increase ignorance and are therefore discouraged for one seeking clarity, devotion to Hari, and upliftment.

Does this verse describe the path of the soul after death?

Indirectly: by warning against tāmasic doctrines, it implies that one’s chosen beliefs and practices shape consciousness and karmic outcomes, which in the Garuda Purana context affects post-death experience and spiritual progress.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Choose disciplines that cultivate sattva—ethical living, self-control, truthful conduct, and devotional remembrance—while avoiding practices that intensify violence, intoxication, delusion, or obsession.