Shloka 43

Mukti-tattva Upadeśa: Knowledge as the Direct Cause of Liberation

Devanagari script

तृष्णासूचीविनिर्भिन्नं सिक्तं विषयसर्पिषा / रागद्वेषानले पक्वं मृत्युरश्राति मानवम्

Transliteration

tṛṣṇāsūcīvinirbhinnaṃ siktaṃ viṣayasarpiṣā / rāgadveṣānale pakvaṃ mṛtyuraśrāti mānavam

Translation

Percé par l’aiguille du désir, trempé dans le ghee des objets des sens, et cuit au feu de l’attachement et de l’aversion—ainsi la Mort saisit et dévore l’être humain.

Word by Word

• तृष्णासूचीविनिर्भिन्नम्: pierced by the needle of craving
• तृष्णासूचीविनिर्भिन्नम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृष्णा + सूची + विनिर्भिन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (तृष्णा-सूच्या विनिर्भिन्नम्)

• सिक्तम्: sprinkled/anointed
• सिक्तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सिच् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘सिक्त’ = sprinkled/anointed

• विषयसर्पिषा: with the ghee of sense-objects
• विषयसर्पिषा: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषय + सर्पिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (सर्पिस्), तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (विषयाणां सर्पिः)

• रागद्वेषानले: in the fire of attachment and aversion
• रागद्वेषानले: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राग + द्वेष + अनल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (राग-द्वेषयोः अनलः)

• पक्वम्: cooked/roasted
• पक्वम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पच् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘पक्व’ = cooked/ripe

• मृत्युः: Death
• मृत्युः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अश्राति: seizes/overpowers
• अश्राति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रै (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; ‘श्रै’ = to seize/overpower (आश्रयति/अश्राति इति पाठभेदप्रयोगः)

• मानवम्: a human being
• मानवम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Tṛṣṇā (craving) and rāga-dveṣa (attachment/aversion) ‘cook’ the jīva into vulnerability; sense-indulgence accelerates mortality’s grip.

Vedantic Theme: Kleśa theory in practice: rāga-dveṣa and tṛṣṇā bind the mind; viveka and vairāgya are prerequisites for freedom from fear of death.

Application: Observe craving as a piercing impulse; reduce sensory overindulgence; practice pratyāhāra, moderation, and mantra/meditation to cool rāga-dveṣa.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana moral-psychological descriptions of bondage leading to death and post-mortem suffering (general thematic link)

Characters & Entities

• Mṛtyu (Death)

FAQs

What is the importance of craving (tṛṣṇā) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse treats tṛṣṇā as the piercing force that makes a person vulnerable—craving drives repeated entanglement in sense-objects, which culminates in being overtaken by Death.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in relation to death?

By portraying rāga and dveṣa as a fire that “cooks” the person, the verse implies that unresolved passions shape one’s condition at death, influencing the post-death journey described in the Preta Kanda.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Reduce compulsive indulgence, watch attachment/aversion, and cultivate restraint and clarity—so that life is not “fueled” by sense-objects and dominated by fear at the time of death.