Shloka 37

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

Devanagari script

भयं च वास्तवं तस्य न जानीहि महामते

Transliteration

bhayaṃ ca vāstavaṃ tasya na jānīhi mahāmate

Translation

おお大いなる思慮の人よ、あなたは彼に属する真実の恐れを、まことには理解していない。

Word by Word

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• vāstavam: real/actual
• vāstavam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāstava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• tasya: of him/of it
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (genitive), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय

• jānīhi: know/understand
• jānīhi: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• mahāmate: O great-minded one
• mahāmate: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + mati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास: ‘great-minded’; पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Subjective fear can be experientially real even when its object is misconstrued; one must understand the inner state, not merely theorize about unreality.

Vedantic Theme: Vyāvahārika satyatā of emotions; the need for viveka regarding mind-states (antaḥkaraṇa-vṛtti) and their causes.

Application: Do not dismiss a seeker’s fear or devotional trembling as ‘unreal’; inquire into its function—purification, surrender, or pedagogical role.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana discussions where emotions (bhaya, śoka) are used as upāya (means) in devotion/teaching

Characters & Entities

• Garuḍa (Vinata-putra)

FAQs

What is the importance of “real fear” in the Garuda Purana?

This verse stresses that the fear experienced by the departed (preta) is not imaginary—it is a concrete consequence of post-death conditions shaped by karma and the journey toward Yama’s domain.

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

By implying that Garuḍa has not yet grasped the intensity of the preta’s fear, the text sets up a deeper explanation of the soul’s vulnerable transition-state and the realities encountered on the way to judgment and consequence.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with ethical restraint and accountability (dharma), and support proper śrāddha/pinda-related duties for the departed—both aim to reduce distress in transitional states described in the Garuda Purana.