Shloka 125

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

Devanagari script

ततो दूरतरा ये च दृश्यन्ते मलिना जनाः / दुर्भगा मलिना रूक्षाः कृशा विगतवाससः

Transliteration

tato dūratarā ye ca dṛśyante malinā janāḥ / durbhagā malinā rūkṣāḥ kṛśā vigatavāsasaḥ

Translation

Puis, plus loin encore, apparaissent des gens misérables—souillés et malchanceux—rudes et hirsutes, amaigris, et dépouillés de leurs vêtements.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — तस्मात्/ततः (ablatival adverb: ‘then/from there’)

• dūratarāḥ: farther
• dūratarāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dūra (प्रातिपदिक) + tara (तरप् प्रत्यय)
• Form: तरप्-प्रत्ययान्त तुलनात्मक विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• ye: who, those who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Pronoun, Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction ‘and/also’)

• dṛśyante: are seen
• dṛśyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन (3rd person plural), आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense: ‘are seen’)

• malināḥ: dirty, impure
• malināḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: malina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• janāḥ: people
• janāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• durbhagāḥ: unfortunate
• durbhagāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + bhaga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• malināḥ: dirty
• malināḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: malina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• rūkṣāḥ: rough, harsh
• rūkṣāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rūkṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• kṛśāḥ: emaciated, thin
• kṛśāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• vigata: gone, devoid of
• vigata: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-√gam (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; समासपूर्वपद (compound member)

• vāsasaḥ: clothes, garments
• vāsasaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsa (प्रातिपदिक) / vāsaḥ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural) — समस्तपद ‘विगतवाससः’ (bahuvrīhi sense: ‘whose clothes are gone’)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Karmic results manifest as bodily and social degradation—filth, misfortune, emaciation, and loss of dignity.

Vedantic Theme: Adhyāropa of embodiment: the subtle moral order expresses through the gross body; prompts vairāgya toward transient form.

Application: Avoid envy, neglect of dharma, and harmful conduct; practice cleanliness, charity, and reverence to prevent degrading karmic trajectories.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa motifs: souls seen in varied conditions according to karma (general internal parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Pretas
• Yama

FAQs

What is the importance of this description in Garuda Purana?

It portrays the degraded condition of certain departed beings on the path of Yama, emphasizing that one’s post-death experience reflects one’s karma and neglect of dharma.

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

By showing groups of beings seen “farther away” in a pitiable state, it implies that the Yama-mārga contains varied conditions for pretas, corresponding to their moral and ritual conduct in life.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with cleanliness, compassion, and dharmic discipline, and support proper antyeṣṭi and śrāddha observances—so that one’s journey after death is not marked by deprivation and distress.