Shloka 5

Jīva-yonis (84 Lakhs), Rarity of Human Birth, Sense-Restraint, Craving, and Śraddhā-based Dharma

Devanagari script

पञ्चेन्द्रियनिधानत्वं महापुण्यैरवाप्यते / ब्राह्मणाः क्षत्त्रिया वैश्याः शूद्रास्तत्परजातयः

Transliteration

pañcendriyanidhānatvaṃ mahāpuṇyairavāpyate / brāhmaṇāḥ kṣattriyā vaiśyāḥ śūdrāstatparajātayaḥ

Translation

पाँच इन्द्रियों का निग्रह महान पुण्यों से प्राप्त होता है। यह ब्राह्मण, क्षत्रिय, वैश्य, शूद्र तथा उनसे उत्पन्न परजातियों—सभी के लिए उपलब्ध है।

Word by Word

• pañcendriyanidhānatvam: the state of having the five senses (as a basis/endowment)
• pañcendriyanidhānatvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañca (प्रातिपदिक) + indriya (प्रातिपदिक) + nidhāna (प्रातिपदिक) + -tva (प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समास: (pañca-indriya)-nidhāna-tva = ‘पञ्चेन्द्रियाणां निधानम्’ इति तत्पुरुष, तस्य भावः (-त्व)

• mahāpuṇyaiḥ: by great merits
• mahāpuṇyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय: महत् पुṇ्यम् = great merit; करण (instrumental)

• avāpyate: is attained/obtained
• avāpyate: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava + āp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमानकाल), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive): ‘is obtained’

• brāhmaṇāḥ: Brahmins
• brāhmaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• kṣattriyāḥ: Kshatriyas
• kṣattriyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣatriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• vaiśyāḥ: Vaishyas
• vaiśyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• śūdrāḥ: Shudras
• śūdrāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūdra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• tatparajātayaḥ: and the castes subsequent to them
• tatparajātayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tatpara (प्रातिपदिक) + jāti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष: तत्-पर = ‘तत् पर’ (thereafter/next) + जातयः; ‘those castes after them’

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Indriya-nigraha (restraint of the five senses) is gained by great merit and is accessible across varṇas and mixed lineages.

Vedantic Theme: Sādhana-catuṣṭaya prerequisites: śama/dama (mind and sense control) as foundations for knowledge and liberation.

Application: Practice daily sense-governance: mindful consumption, ethical speech, regulated habits; treat discipline as a universal spiritual competency, not a privilege.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana moral and devotional instructions that repeatedly stress indriya-jaya as prerequisite for bhakti and good death

Characters & Entities

• Brahmanas
• Kshatriyas
• Vaishyas
• Shudras

FAQs

What is the importance of controlling the five senses in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that restraining the five senses is a high spiritual attainment born of great merit, implying it is foundational for dharmic progress and purification of karma.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in the Preta Kanda context?

In the Preta Kanda’s broader concern with post-death consequences, sense-restraint functions as a living discipline that reduces sinful tendencies and supports a cleaner karmic trajectory affecting one’s afterlife outcomes.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Practice daily sense-discipline—moderation in food, speech, sexuality, and consumption—treating restraint as a merit-building habit that supports ethical clarity and steadier spiritual practice.