Shloka 74

Mahālakṣmī’s Forms, Brahmā’s Fourfold Origin, Vāyu’s Names and Soteriology, and Bhāratī’s Manifestations

Devanagari script

स्थापनं दुष्टदमनं द्वयमेव प्रयोजनम् / नान्यत्प्रयोजनं वायोस्तथा वैरोचनात्मके

Transliteration

sthāpanaṃ duṣṭadamanaṃ dvayameva prayojanam / nānyatprayojanaṃ vāyostathā vairocanātmake

Translation

Establecer (el orden) y refrenar a los malvados: sólo estos dos son los propósitos. Para Vāyu no hay otro propósito; así también en el aspecto Vairocanātmaka.

Word by Word

• sthāpanam: establishing / setting up
• sthāpanam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāpana (प्रातिपदिक; from √sthā causative √sthāp ‘to establish’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भाववाचक नाम (action noun)

• duṣṭa-damanam: subduing the wicked
• duṣṭa-damanam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + damana (प्रातिपदिक; from √dam ‘to tame’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘दुष्टानां दमनम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; भाववाचक

• dvayam: twofold (these two)
• dvayam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक (a pair/twofold)

• eva: only / indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis: only/indeed)

• prayojanam: purpose
• prayojanam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prayojana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-नाम

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• anyat: anything else
• anyat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘अन्यत्’ (something else)

• prayojanam: purpose
• prayojanam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prayojana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• vāyoḥ: of Vāyu
• vāyoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• tathā: thus / likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक/समुच्चयार्थक (thus/likewise)

• vairocanātmake: in/with the Virocana-natured (form)
• vairocanātmake: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vairocanātmaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘विरोचनस्य आत्मा/स्वरूपम्’ इत्यर्थे (having the nature of Virocana)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Divine/empowered agency has a twofold telos: dharma-sthāpana (establishing order) and duṣṭa-damana (checking the wicked); other aims are secondary.

Vedantic Theme: Īśvara’s līlā as dharma-protection; the balance of compassion and restraint in maintaining cosmic order (ṛta/dharma).

Application: In leadership and personal ethics: build institutions/virtues that sustain good, and set firm boundaries against harm; practice non-naïve compassion—protecting the vulnerable is part of dharma.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: vira

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: general motif of dharma protection and punishment of wicked (including Yama-related sections, thematically)

Characters & Entities

• Vayu

FAQs

What is the importance of establishing order (sthāpana) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames “establishing order” as a primary cosmic and ethical function—supporting dharma by stabilizing what is right and properly arranged.

How does this verse relate to punishment or restraint of wrongdoing?

It explicitly states that curbing the wicked (duṣṭa-damana) is one of the two core purposes—implying that restraint and correction are necessary to protect dharma.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Support systems that uphold order and discourage harm—self-discipline, fair rules, and ethical leadership—while avoiding needless actions beyond what preserves dharma.