Shloka 3

Devanagari script

एकविंशतिलक्षाणि अण्डजाः परिकीर्तिताः / स्वेदजाश्च तथा प्रोक्ता उद्भिज्जाश्च क्रमेण तु

Transliteration

ekaviṃśatilakṣāṇi aṇḍajāḥ parikīrtitāḥ / svedajāśca tathā proktā udbhijjāśca krameṇa tu

Translation

It is proclaimed that egg-born beings number twenty-one lakhs; likewise are spoken of sweat-born beings, and also those born from sprouting plants (udbhijja)—each in its proper order.

Word by Word

• ekaviṃśatilakṣāṇi: twenty-one lakhs (2.1 million)
• ekaviṃśatilakṣāṇi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + viṃśati (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; द्विगुसमास (संख्यापूर्वक-समाहार/परिमाणवाचक)

• aṇḍajāḥ: egg-born beings
• aṇḍajāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṇḍaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• parikīrtitāḥ: are proclaimed/are stated
• parikīrtitāḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari + kīrt (धातु) → parikīrtita (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगार्थे ‘are declared/are enumerated’

• svedajāḥ: sweat-born beings
• svedajāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svedaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/समुच्चयार्थ (adverb: likewise/so)

• proktāḥ: are said/are called
• proktāḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + vac (धातु) → prokta (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; ‘are said/are called’

• udbhijjāḥ: sprout-born beings (plants etc.)
• udbhijjāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ud + bhij (धातु) → udbhijja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• krameṇa: in order/ क्रमशः
• krameṇa: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभाव (instrumental used adverbially): क्रमेन = क्रमशः (in order)

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अनुनयार्थ (particle: but/indeed)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Yoni-bheda (four modes of birth) and the immensity of embodied life as a backdrop for spiritual discernment.

Vedantic Theme: Jagat-vaicitrya (variegated manifestation) under niyati/ṛta; embodiment as a field for karma and knowledge.

Application: Cultivate humility and vigilance: recognize the rarity of favorable embodiment and use it for self-discipline and dharma rather than mere consumption.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana (didactic sections on yoni-bheda and human-durlabhatva in adjacent verses)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of classifying beings as aṇḍaja, svedaja, and udbhijja in the Garuda Purana?

This verse organizes life into traditional categories of birth, framing creation as an ordered system; it supports the Purana’s broader teaching that embodied existence spans many forms and conditions.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By listing multiple birth-types, it implies transmigration across diverse embodiments; the soul may take different forms according to karmic conditions, reinforcing the Purana’s afterlife-and-rebirth worldview.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Seeing life as varied yet ordered encourages compassion and ethical restraint toward all beings, supporting dharmic conduct and mindful karma in daily life.