Shloka 43

Karma, Varṇa-Dharma, and Dāna as the Soul’s True Companion on the Path to Yama

Devanagari script

वर्षाशनं वेदविदे च दत्तं कन्याविवाहस्त्वृणमोचनं द्विजे / भूमिः सुकृष्टापि तृषार्तिहेतोस्तदेवमेतं सुकृतत् समस्तम्

Transliteration

varṣāśanaṃ vedavide ca dattaṃ kanyāvivāhastvṛṇamocanaṃ dvije / bhūmiḥ sukṛṣṭāpi tṛṣārtihetostadevametaṃ sukṛtat samastam

Translation

La nourriture donnée pendant la saison des pluies à un connaisseur du Veda, le mariage d’une jeune fille et l’acquittement de la dette d’un brāhmane ; et de même, même une terre bien labourée peut devenir cause de peine par la soif : ainsi faut-il comprendre tout cela comme une œuvre méritoire (sukṛta) dans son entier, lorsqu’elle est accomplie avec justesse et au bon moment.

Word by Word

• varṣa-āśanam: food provision (for the rainy season/year)
• varṣa-āśanam: Karma (कर्म/Object; thing given)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + āśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (‘varṣe āśanam’ = food during rainy season / annual provision)

• veda-vide: to a knower of the Veda
• veda-vide: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान/Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + vid (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (‘vedasya vid’ = knower of Veda)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• dattam: given
• dattam: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (दा धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘given’

• kanyā-vivāhaḥ: marriage of a daughter
• kanyā-vivāhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; item in list)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक) + vivāha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (‘kanyāyāḥ vivāhaḥ’ = marriage of a maiden)

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेष-अव्यय (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• ṛṇa-mocanam: release from debt
• ṛṇa-mocanam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; item in list)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + mocana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (‘ṛṇasya mocanam’ = release from debt)

• dvije: for/in the case of a twice-born (brāhmaṇa)
• dvije: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative) एकवचन (or चतुर्थी dative in some readings); here: ‘in/for a brāhmaṇa’ contextually recipient/beneficiary

• bhūmiḥ: land
• bhūmiḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• su-kṛṣṭā: well-cultivated
• su-kṛṣṭā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of ‘bhūmiḥ’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्ययार्थ) + kṛṣṭa (कृदन्त; √kṛṣ/कृष्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (kta) used adjectivally; ‘well-ploughed/cultivated’

• api: even though
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि-अव्यय (concessive: ‘even though’)

• tṛṣā-ārti-hetoḥ: because of the cause of thirst-distress
• tṛṣā-ārti-hetoḥ: Hetu (हेतु/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tṛṣā (प्रातिपदिक) + ārti (प्रातिपदिक) + hetu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (‘tṛṣāyāḥ ārtiḥ’ + ‘ārtaye hetuḥ’ = cause of suffering from thirst)

• tad: that
• tad: Viśeṣya (विशेष्य; points to the foregoing)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय-अव्यय (emphasis)

• etad: this
• etad: Viśeṣya (विशेष्य; apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• sukṛtam: merit, good deed
• sukṛtam: Viśeṣya (विशेष्य/Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (उपसर्ग) + √kṛ (कृ धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-कृदन्त used substantively: ‘good deed/merit’

• samastam: entire, complete
• samastam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of ‘sukṛtam’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण ‘entire/complete’

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Sukṛta is not only the act but its appropriateness: feeding in varṣā to a vedavid, arranging kanyā-vivāha, freeing a dvija from debt; and the warning that resources without right provisioning (water) can still cause distress.

Vedantic Theme: Karma as intelligent compassion (viveka-yukta dāna): right time, right recipient, right need; dharma aligned with ṛta (order) and loka-saṅgraha.

Application: Give seasonally and need-based; support education/learning communities, women’s welfare and safe marriages, and debt relief; plan water security alongside agriculture and development.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: agrarian landscape

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana dāna-kāla (timing of gifts) discussions; annadāna and debt-relief merits (general parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Veda
• Dwijas (Brahmins)

FAQs

What is the importance of seasonal food donation in the Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights that giving sustenance specifically in the rainy season to a Veda-knower is a high-value act of sukṛta, emphasizing timing and worthy recipients in dana.

How does this verse connect household duties to spiritual merit?

By listing kanya-vivaha (responsible marriage of a maiden) and freeing a dvija from debt, the verse frames key household/social obligations as dharmic acts that generate spiritual merit when performed righteously.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Offer timely support to genuine teachers/scholars, fulfill family responsibilities ethically, and help relieve oppressive debt—doing so with right intention and discernment as a form of dharma-based charity.