Shloka 6

Brahmāṇḍa-Āvaraṇa Nirūpaṇa, Virajā-Setu, and Prākṛta–Vaikṛta Sṛṣṭi

Devanagari script

एवं कोटिशतं तस्यावयवः परिकीर्तितः / ततश्च सप्तावरणैः समतात्परिधीकृतम्

Transliteration

evaṃ koṭiśataṃ tasyāvayavaḥ parikīrtitaḥ / tataśca saptāvaraṇaiḥ samatātparidhīkṛtam

Translation

Ainsi, cent crores de ses parties constitutives ont été décrites ; puis, il est entouré uniformément de toutes parts par les sept enveloppes.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• कोटि-शतम्: a hundred crores
• कोटि-शतम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭi + śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन); संख्या-तत्पुरुष (koṭīnāṃ śatam)

• तस्य: of that/of it
• तस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (पुं/नपुंसक), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• अवयवः: part/component
• अवयवः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: avayava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• परिकीर्तितः: has been described
• परिकीर्तितः: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari + kīrt (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (कृत्: क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); कर्मणि प्रयोग

• ततः: thereafter/from there
• ततः: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction (समुच्चय)

• सप्त-आवरणैः: by seven coverings
• सप्त-आवरणैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sapta + āvaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन); संख्या-तत्पुरुष (saptānām āvaraṇaiḥ)

• समतात्: from equality/evenness
• समतात्: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• परिधी-कृतम्: has been enclosed/encircled
• परिधी-कृतम्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paridhi + kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (कृत्: क्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन); upapada-like formation ‘paridhi-kṛ’ = ‘to encircle’

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Manifestation is not only expansion but also containment—cosmos is circumscribed by successive layers, implying limits to empirical reach.

Vedantic Theme: The conditioned universe (saṃsāra-kṣetra) is enclosed within māyic sheaths; beyond coverings lies transcendence.

Application: Use ‘seven coverings’ as a meditation on sheaths/limitations; cultivate vairāgya by recognizing the bounded nature of worldly experience.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: cosmic boundary layers

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana passages enumerating sapta-āvaraṇa and their measures

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Garuda

FAQs

What is the importance of the seven coverings (sapta-āvaraṇa) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights that the cosmos is not open-ended; it is described as a structured brahmāṇḍa uniformly bounded by seven successive enclosures, emphasizing an ordered Puranic cosmology.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Indirectly: by defining the cosmos as layered and enclosed, it frames the soul’s journey (and the realms it may traverse) within an ordered universe governed by cosmic boundaries and gradations.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

It encourages a disciplined worldview: life is part of a larger, ordered reality—supporting ethical living (dharma) and humility about one’s place within a vast, structured cosmos.