Shloka 34
Multi-form Manifestations, Indra–Kāma Incarnations, Pravāha, and the Twofold Buddhi
Sense-Discipline and Exclusive Refuge in Viṣṇu
सुदर्शनश्च परमः प्रद्युम्नः सांब एव च / सनत्कुमारः सांबश्चषडेते कामरूपकाः
sudarśanaśca paramaḥ pradyumnaḥ sāṃba eva ca / sanatkumāraḥ sāṃbaścaṣaḍete kāmarūpakāḥ
Sudarśana, Parama, Pradyumna, dan Sāmba; juga Sanatkumāra dan Sāmba—keenamnya disebut kāmarūpaka, mampu mengambil wujud sesuai kehendak.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra in the Garuda Purana dialogue frame)
Concept: Kāmarūpatva: the capacity to assume forms at will, presented as an attribute of a defined set of divine beings.
Vedantic Theme: Subtle-body plasticity within māyā; form is contingent and governed by higher will/śakti.
Application: Use the list as a mnemonic for Purāṇic cosmology; reflect on impermanence and constructedness of form to reduce rigid identity-clinging.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.28.31-33 (preceding identifications); Garuda Purana 3.28.35 (hierarchy/gradation of desires)
FAQs
This verse highlights a class of exalted beings described as kāmarūpakāḥ—those who can manifest any form by will—showing the Purana’s taxonomy of spiritual capacities beyond ordinary embodied limitation.
Indirectly, it contrasts ordinary souls bound to karma and fixed embodiment with higher beings who are described as free to assume forms at will, implying degrees of spiritual power and liberation from constraint.
Use it as a reminder that spiritual discipline aims at mastery over the mind and senses; rather than seeking powers, focus on dharma and devotion, which the Purana treats as the safer path to upliftment.