Shloka 44

Vṛṣotsarga (Bull-Release Gift): Procedure, Merit, and Narratives on Dharma, Karma, and Liberation

Devanagari script

केन पुण्येन तु भवान्पारमेष्ट्यविभूषितः / किमर्थमहमानीतः पुनस्तत्रैव नीयते

Transliteration

kena puṇyena tu bhavānpārameṣṭyavibhūṣitaḥ / kimarthamahamānītaḥ punastatraiva nīyate

Translation

«¿Por qué mérito estás adornado con el honor del reino del Señor Supremo? ¿Y con qué propósito he sido traído aquí, para luego ser llevado de nuevo allá?»

Word by Word

• केन: by what/with what
• केन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular), प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• पुण्येन: by merit
• पुण्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• भवान्: you (honorific)
• भवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), आदरार्थक-सर्वनाम

• पारमेष्ट्यविभूषितः: adorned with the (status/ornament) of Brahmā (Pārameṣṭhya)
• पारमेष्ट्यविभूषितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पारमेष्ट्य + विभूषित (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-भूतकृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विभूषित = √भूष् (धातु) क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), विशेषण

• किमर्थम्: why/for what purpose
• किमर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास, अव्यय (interrogative adverbial: for what purpose/why)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• आनीतः: brought
• आनीतः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपसर्ग: आ-; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थ (brought)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: there)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle: just/only)

• नीयते: is being led/taken
• नीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive: is being led)

Speaker

A questioned soul/being (jīva) speaking to a radiant guide or messenger in the narrative of Preta Kanda

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Merit confers higher honor/realm; one’s movement between realms is governed by karmic causality and adjudication.

Vedantic Theme: Karma as upādhi-based determinant of gati; relative heavens are within saṃsāra, not ultimate liberation.

Application: Reflect on causes of honor (puṇya) and instability of worldly/heavenly status; prioritize enduring virtues and devotion.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: accounts of puṇya leading to higher lokas and papa leading to return/decline; Garuda Purana: dialogues explaining why a soul is moved between stations

Characters & Entities

• Jiva
• Parameṣṭhin (Brahmā)

FAQs

What is the importance of punya (merit) in Garuda Purana’s afterlife teaching?

This verse frames the afterlife as morally ordered: higher honor and access to exalted realms are attributed to specific merits (puṇya), not chance.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

It depicts the jīva being escorted between realms, questioning why it is shown a higher state and then led back—implying that post-death movement follows karmic eligibility and allotted results.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with sustained dharmic conduct—charity, truthfulness, and ritual responsibility—so that one’s “credit” (puṇya) is stable rather than temporary or mixed with actions that pull the mind back to lower outcomes.