Shloka 128

Devanagari script

जन्मतो वैष्णवी माया संमोहयति सत्वरम् / स्वकर्मकृतसम्बन्धो जन्तुर्जन्म प्रपद्यते

Transliteration

janmato vaiṣṇavī māyā saṃmohayati satvaram / svakarmakṛtasambandho janturjanma prapadyate

Translation

From the very moment of birth, the Lord’s Vaiṣṇavī māyā swiftly deludes the being; bound by the ties fashioned by its own past deeds, the creature enters yet another birth.

Word by Word

• जन्मतः: from birth
• जन्मतः: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/अपादान), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे ‘from birth’

• वैष्णवी: Vaiṣṇavī
• वैष्णवी: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैष्णवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• माया: illusion, māyā
• माया: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• संमोहयति: bewilders, deludes
• संमोहयति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+मुह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; सकर्मक

• सत्वरम्: quickly
• सत्वरम्: Kriya-vishesana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सत्वरम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-निबद्ध)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• स्वकर्मकृतसम्बन्धः: having connection formed by one’s own actions
• स्वकर्मकृतसम्बन्धः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व+कर्म+कृत+सम्बन्ध (प्रातिपदिक; स्व=सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक, कर्म=प्रातिपदिक, कृत=कृ(धातु) क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, सम्बन्ध=प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः (स्वकर्मणा कृतः सम्बन्धः यस्य) — विशेषणम्

• जन्तुः: the creature, being
• जन्तुः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रपद्यते: attains, undergoes
• प्रपद्यते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+पद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinatā-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Vaiṣṇavī māyā deludes from birth; the jīva, tied to self-made karmic connections, enters repeated births.

Vedantic Theme: Avidyā/māyā as the veiling power; karma-bandha as the mechanism of saṃsāra; implicit need for viveka and bhagavat-smaraṇa to transcend delusion.

Application: Cultivate awareness of karmic causality; practice daily self-examination and restraint; strengthen remembrance of Viṣṇu to counter habitual delusion and reduce karmic entanglement.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: recurring discussions of karma leading to rebirth and post-mortem journey (general thematic parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Maya
• Karma
• Jantu (embodied being)

FAQs

What is the importance of karma and māyā in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that the Lord’s māyā causes immediate delusion at birth, and the being is compelled into embodiment by bonds created through its own past karma—explaining why saṃsāra continues.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul into rebirth?

It links rebirth to two forces: delusion (māyā) that clouds discernment from birth, and karmic sambandhas—attachments and consequences formed by one’s deeds—which carry the jīva into another embodied life.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with karma-awareness: reduce harmful actions and binding attachments, cultivate clarity through dharma and devotion, and aim for discrimination (viveka) so māyā’s delusion does not drive repeated suffering.