Shloka 50

Sat-saṅga, Dharma-Nīti, Karma-Phala, Śauca, and Vairāgya

Overcoming Grief

Devanagari script

लब्धव्यान्येव लभते गन्तव्यान्येव गच्छति / प्राप्तव्यान्येव प्राप्नाति दुः खानि च सुखानि च

Transliteration

labdhavyānyeva labhate gantavyānyeva gacchati / prāptavyānyeva prāpnāti duḥ khāni ca sukhāni ca

Translation

El hombre obtiene sólo lo que está destinado a obtener, va sólo adonde está destinado a ir y alcanza sólo lo que está destinado a alcanzar, tanto penas como alegrías.

Word by Word

• लब्धव्यानि: things destined to be obtained
• लब्धव्यानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: √labh (धातु) + tavya (तव्य) → labdhavya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; कर्मपदम् (things to be obtained)

• एव: only/indeed
• एव: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक-निपात

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• गन्तव्यानि: places/things that must be gone to
• गन्तव्यानि: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: √gam (धातु) + tavya (तव्य) → gantavya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; कर्मपदम्

• एव: only/indeed
• एव: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक-निपात

• गच्छति: goes
• गच्छति: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• प्राप्तव्यानि: things destined to be attained
• प्राप्तव्यानि: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: √prāp (धातु) + tavya (तव्य) → prāptavya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; कर्मपदम्

• एव: only/indeed
• एव: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक-निपात

• प्राप्नाति: attains
• प्राप्नाति: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√āp/√prāp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• दुःखानि: sorrows
• दुःखानि: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• सुखानि: happinesses, pleasures
• सुखानि: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात

Speaker

Lord Viṣṇu (in discourse to Garuḍa / Vinatā-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: One experiences only what is to be experienced—gain, movement, attainment, sorrow and joy—according to karmic destiny.

Vedantic Theme: Prārabdha-karma and īśvara-niyati; equanimity (samatva) toward sukha-duḥkha.

Application: Practice ‘do your duty, release the result’: act ethically, but reduce compulsive control; journal outcomes as ‘received’ rather than ‘won/lost’ to cultivate samatva.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: universal (life-path)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.113.51 (karma ripens in its own time; lamentation is futile).

FAQs

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

This verse states that gains, journeys, and attainments unfold according to what is already to be experienced, implying the ripening of past karma as the basis for both joy and sorrow.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By saying one goes only where one is destined to go, the verse supports the Garuda Purana’s broader theme that the jīva’s experiences and movements (including post-death trajectories) follow karmic allotment.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform dharma and right effort without obsession over outcomes, and cultivate equanimity toward pleasure and pain, understanding them as experiences to be undergone and exhausted.