Shloka 71

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

Devanagari script

षर्ड्शनमहाकूपे पतिताः पशवः खग / परमार्थं न जानन्ति पशुपाशनियन्त्रिताः

Transliteration

ṣarḍśanamahākūpe patitāḥ paśavaḥ khaga / paramārthaṃ na jānanti paśupāśaniyantritāḥ

Translation

Ô Khaga (Garuda), tels des bêtes tombées dans le grand puits des six doctrines, ils ne connaissent pas le paramārtha, la vérité suprême, car ils sont retenus par les liens (pāśa) qui asservissent l’âme liée.

Word by Word

• षट्-दर्शन-महा-कूपे: in the great well of the six systems (of philosophy)
• षट्-दर्शन-महा-कूपे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षट् (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक) + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक) + महा (प्रातिपदिक) + कूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—द्विगु (षट्-दर्शनानि यस्मिन्/षड्दर्शनसम्बद्धः)

• पतिताः: fallen
• पतिताः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पतित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √पत् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• पशवः: beasts/creatures
• पशवः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पशु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• खग: O bird (Garuda)
• खग: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• परम-अर्थम्: the highest truth/ultimate meaning
• परम-अर्थम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (परमः अर्थः)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (निषेध/Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• जानन्ति: know
• जानन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• पशु-पाश-नियन्त्रिताः: controlled by the noose of animality (bondage)
• पशु-पाश-नियन्त्रिताः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पशु (प्रातिपदिक) + पाश (प्रातिपदिक) + नियन्त्रित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √यम्/यन्त्र् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (नियन्त्रित); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (पशुपाशेन नियन्त्रिताः)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Mere immersion in the six darśanas without realizing paramārtha leaves one bound (paśu) by pāśa—limitations of ego, attachment, and conceptual fixation.

Vedantic Theme: Critique of śāstra-jāla without aparokṣa-anubhava; bondage as avidyā and upādhi; need to transcend sectarian/systemic identification toward Brahma-tattva.

Application: Study philosophies as tools, not identities; test learning against lived transformation (reduced ego, increased clarity/compassion); practice inquiry into the seer (draṣṭā) beyond concepts.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: metaphorical

Cross References

Related Themes: 2.49.72–74 expand the critique: being swept by śāstra currents, stuck in logic, crow-chatter learning

Characters & Entities

• Garuda (Khaga)

FAQs

What is the importance of ‘paramārtha’ (highest truth) in this Garuda Purana verse?

The verse contrasts ultimate truth (paramārtha) with mere intellectual entanglement, warning that without liberation-oriented insight one remains bound like a ‘paśu’ (a constrained soul).

How does this verse explain bondage of the soul in Garuda Purana?

It says beings become ‘paśavaḥ’ because they are niyantrita (controlled) by paśu-pāśa—binding attachments and limiting identifications—so they fail to realize the highest truth.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use study and debate as supports, not substitutes: cultivate detachment, ethical living, and direct spiritual practice aimed at liberation rather than getting trapped in rigid viewpoints.