Shloka 122

Vṛṣotsarga (Bull-Release Gift): Procedure, Merit, and Narratives on Dharma, Karma, and Liberation

Devanagari script

सभुक्त्वा विषयान् दिव्यान् विमानवरमाश्रितः / तेन राजकुले जन्म वीरसेनस्य धर्मतः

Transliteration

sabhuktvā viṣayān divyān vimānavaramāśritaḥ / tena rājakule janma vīrasenasya dharmataḥ

Translation

Après avoir goûté aux délices célestes et s’être abrité dans un vimāna d’excellence, par ce mérite il naquit ensuite—selon le dharma—dans la lignée royale de Vīrasena.

Word by Word

• स-भुक्त्वा: having enjoyed
• स-भुक्त्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भुज् (धातु) → भुक्त्वा (क्त्वान्त-अव्यय) सह स (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थ)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive) + सहार्थक 'स' (together/fully); पूर्वक्रिया

• विषयान्: objects of enjoyment
• विषयान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; भुक्त्वा इत्यस्य कर्म

• दिव्यान्: divine
• दिव्यान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विषयान् इत्यस्य विशेषण

• विमानवरम्: the best aerial car
• विमानवरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विमान (प्रातिपदिक) + वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय समास (वरं विमानम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आश्रितः: having taken refuge in/entered
• आश्रितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रि (धातु) उपसर्ग-आ + आश्रित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि-भाव (having resorted to)

• तेन: by that, thereby
• तेन: Hetu/Karana (Cause/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; हेत्वर्थ/साधनार्थ (by that/thereby)

• राजकुले: in a royal family
• राजकुले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज (प्रातिपदिक) + कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष समास (राज्ञः कुलम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वीरसेनस्य: of Vīrasena
• वीरसेनस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीरसेन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• धर्मतः: righteously, according to dharma
• धर्मतः: Kriya-viseshana (Manner/Cause nuance)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: धर्मतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb: according to dharma/rightly)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Svarga

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Puṇya yields svarga-bhoga and then auspicious rebirth; karmic results unfold lawfully (‘dharmataḥ’), linking ethical action to future circumstances.

Vedantic Theme: Saṃsāra mechanics: enjoyment in svarga is finite; merit leads to higher birth but not final liberation—prompting discernment (viveka) toward mokṣa beyond puṇya.

Application: Use prosperity and status as stewardship grounded in dharma; cultivate detachment from reward-seeking and redirect merit toward liberation-oriented practice.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: celestial realm; earthly kingdom

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: karma-phala descriptions of svarga-bhoga followed by return to martya-loka; Garuda Purana: teachings that puṇya grants higher birth but mokṣa requires devotion/knowledge

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Garuda
• Vīrasena

FAQs

What is the importance of karma and merit in this Garuda Purana verse?

It shows that righteous merit can first yield heavenly enjoyments (divya viṣaya) and honors (vimāna), and later mature into a favorable rebirth—here, in a royal lineage—according to dharma.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

The verse presents a sequence: merit leads to elevated post-death experience (celestial pleasures and a heavenly conveyance), and when that merit is exhausted or ripens further, it becomes the cause for a new birth in the human realm.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate dharmic conduct and merit through ethical living, charity, and devotion, understanding that actions shape both subtle post-death experiences and the quality of future circumstances.