Shloka 146

Multi-form Manifestations, Indra–Kāma Incarnations, Pravāha, and the Twofold Buddhi

Sense-Discipline and Exclusive Refuge in Viṣṇu

Devanagari script

सदा मूढो हरिवार्तां भजस्व ह्यायुर्गतं व्यर्थमेवं कुबुद्ध्या / सद्वैष्णवानां संगमो दुर्लभश्च क्षुब्धं ज्ञानं तारतम्यस्वरूपम्

Transliteration

sadā mūḍho harivārtāṃ bhajasva hyāyurgataṃ vyarthamevaṃ kubuddhyā / sadvaiṣṇavānāṃ saṃgamo durlabhaśca kṣubdhaṃ jñānaṃ tāratamyasvarūpam

Translation

O deluded one, always take refuge in the sacred discourse and remembrance of Hari; for life passes away, wasted thus through misguided understanding. The company of true Vaiṣṇavas is indeed rare; when knowledge is agitated, it appears only as a distorted sense of gradations and differences.

Word by Word

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• mūḍhaḥ: the deluded one
• mūḍhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūḍha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• hari-vārtām: talk/discourse of Hari
• hari-vārtām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari + vārtā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (talk of Hari)

• bhajasva: resort to / practice
• bhajasva: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhaj (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधानार्थ/हेतौ (indeed/for)

• āyuḥ: life-span
• āyuḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• gatam: gone/passing away
• gatam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gam (धातु) + ta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying āyuḥ)

• vyartham: in vain
• vyartham: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vyartha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-रूपेण (adverbial accusative)

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (manner adverb)

• kubuddhyā: by foolish intellect
• kubuddhyā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ku + buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (bad intellect)

• sat-vaiṣṇavānām: of true Vaiṣṇavas
• sat-vaiṣṇavānām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat + vaiṣṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (true Vaiṣṇavas)

• saṃgamaḥ: association/meeting
• saṃgamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• durlabhaḥ: rare
• durlabhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: durlabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying saṃgamaḥ)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• kṣubdham: agitated/disturbed
• kṣubdham: Karta/Karma (contextual)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣubh (धातु) + ta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying jñānam)

• jñānam: knowledge
• jñānam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• tāratamya-svarūpam: of the nature of gradations
• tāratamya-svarūpam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tāratamya + svarūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (having the nature of gradation/inequality); विशेषण (qualifying jñānam)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra, as part of the didactic discourse)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Take refuge in Hari-kathā/smaraṇa; life is fleeting; true Vaiṣṇava-satsaṅga is rare; disturbed knowledge yields distorted gradations (tāratamya) and difference-sense.

Vedantic Theme: Antaḥkaraṇa-śuddhi as prerequisite for right knowledge; agitation (kṣobha) in buddhi produces bheda-bhrānti; bhakti and satsanga stabilize discernment.

Application: Daily Hari-nāma and Hari-kathā; seek steady association with sincere Vaiṣṇavas; reduce mental agitation (over-argument, pride, distraction) to prevent ‘distorted’ understanding.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.28.147-148 (burning distorted buddhi; mokṣa through true knowledge and grace); Garuda Purana 3.29.1 (Vishnu alone as worship-worthy)

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Vaiṣṇavas

FAQs

What is the importance of Hari-katha (harivārtā) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that life quickly passes and is wasted through wrong understanding; Hari-katha is presented as the corrective refuge that anchors the mind in devotion and right direction.

How does this verse relate to the soul’s journey and after-death concerns in the Garuda Purana?

In the Preta Kanda’s broader moral instruction, devotion and clarity of discernment are emphasized as inner preparations; without them, knowledge becomes disturbed and one remains deluded—an unfit state for confronting death and post-death transitions.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Prioritize daily remembrance/discussion of Vishnu (Hari-katha), seek the company of sincere practitioners, and avoid habits that agitate the mind—so discernment stays steady and life is not spent fruitlessly.