Shloka 15

Hari in the Primeval Waters: Prakṛti as Veil, the ‘Sleep’ Metaphor, and Brahmā’s Lotus-Channel Inquiry

Devanagari script

तत्र विष्णो महाभाग सगुणाच्छादको हितः / परमाच्छादिकां दुष्टां व्यामुच्यैव महाप्रभो

Transliteration

tatra viṣṇo mahābhāga saguṇācchādako hitaḥ / paramācchādikāṃ duṣṭāṃ vyāmucyaiva mahāprabho

Translation

वहाँ, हे विष्णु, हे महाभाग! जो सगुण आच्छादन हितकर कहा गया है, उसे दूर कीजिए। और हे महाप्रभो! उस दुष्ट परम आच्छादन को भी पूर्णतः त्याग दीजिए।

Word by Word

• तत्र: there/then
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative circumstance)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: there/then)

• विष्णो: O Viṣṇu
• विष्णो: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• महाभाग: O greatly fortunate one
• महाभाग: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; 'great-fortuned'

• सगुणाच्छादकः: one who covers with qualities (saguṇa-coverer)
• सगुणाच्छादकः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + गुण + आच्छादक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (गुणैः सह/सगुणः; सगुणस्य आच्छादकः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• हितः: beneficial
• हितः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हित (प्रातिपदिक; √धा/√हि-? 'placed/beneficial' as adjective)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; 'beneficial/well-disposed'

• परमाच्छादिकाम्: the supreme veiler (female)
• परमाच्छादिकाम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परम + आच्छादिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• दुष्टाम्: wicked
• दुष्टाम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• व्यामुच्य: having removed/released
• व्यामुच्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Action qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-आ-√मुच् (धातु) → व्यामुच्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); 'having released/removed'

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle: indeed/only)

• महाप्रभो: O great lord
• महाप्रभो: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Garuda (Vinata-putra) addressing Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Prayer for the removal of saguna-veil (guna-conditioned covering) and the supreme wicked veil; liberation as unveiling through Vishnu’s grace.

Vedantic Theme: Avarana-bhanga (removal of obscuration) culminating in realization; integration of bhakti (grace) with jnana (unveiling).

Application: Daily prayer/mantra to Vishnu for clarity; combine devotion with self-inquiry and ethical purification to thin the guna-veil.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: Vishnu-devotion as liberating; teachings on nama-smarana and grace (contextual parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Gunas

FAQs

What is the importance of removing the ‘covering of the guṇas’ in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames liberation as the removal of the guṇa-based veil that obscures the Self, implying that freedom comes when sattva-rajas-tamas no longer bind or conceal true awareness.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

It points to an inner obstacle—veiling by qualities/ignorance—suggesting that the soul’s clarity and release depend not only on external rites but also on dissolving subtle coverings that cloud discernment.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate sattva through ethical living and disciplined practice, while actively reducing rajas and tamas (restlessness and inertia), treating them as “coverings” that must be lifted for clearer judgment and spiritual progress.