Shloka 60
Kāraṇa-vyākhyā: Cosmic Agents, Rudra-Forms, Sense-Purity, and Ānanda-Tāratamya
स्मृत्वास्मृत्वा वासुदेवस्य मायां रुरोद चौर्वो भयकंपिताङ्गः / अतीव कष्टेन च लोकवृत्त्या श्रिता दैन्यं स्वीयकार्यं विहाय
smṛtvāsmṛtvā vāsudevasya māyāṃ ruroda caurvo bhayakaṃpitāṅgaḥ / atīva kaṣṭena ca lokavṛttyā śritā dainyaṃ svīyakāryaṃ vihāya
Se souvenant sans cesse de la māyā de Vāsudeva, puissance d’illusion, le voleur pleura, les membres tremblants de peur. Accablé par une détresse extrême et par la dure conduite de la vie mondaine, il tomba dans la misère, abandonnant la voie d’action qu’il s’était fixée.
Lord Vishnu (Vāsudeva) narrating to Garuda (Vinata-putra) in the Preta Kanda context
Concept: Worldly patterns (loka-vṛtti) and māyā generate fear and derail one’s chosen path; without higher refuge, suffering forces abandonment of dharmic intention.
Vedantic Theme: Saṃsāra as duḥkha under guṇa-mayī māyā; the need for stable sādhana to prevent collapse under adversity.
Application: Build resilience in practice: fixed daily japa/meditation, ethical routines, and supportive community so hardship does not cause abandonment of one’s higher aims.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: māyā as binding force; bhakti as stabilizer amid fear and duḥkha (general); Narrative continuity with 3.18.57-59: remembrance → lament → plea → trembling fear
FAQs
It shows how worldly delusion drives sinful choices and later collapses into fear and grief when consequences become unavoidable, revealing dependence on Vāsudeva’s divine order.
By portraying a sinner’s trembling remorse, it supports the text’s broader teaching that karmic actions mature into inner terror and suffering, which later mirrors the after-death accountability described in the Preta Kanda.
Avoid unethical livelihood, especially theft or exploitation; choose dharmic means of earning, and correct wrongdoing early through restraint, restitution, and sincere repentance.