Shloka 74

Gradations of Bliss and Knowledge; Lakṣmī’s Special Insight; The Rarity of Bhakti in Kali-yuga; Nīlā’s Vow and Śrīnivāsa Darśana

Devanagari script

कुंभकस्य सुता नीला देहस्थाः प्राविशन् भृशम् / एकावयवतो यस्मात्तस्मात्तत्रैव साविशत्

Transliteration

kuṃbhakasya sutā nīlā dehasthāḥ prāviśan bhṛśam / ekāvayavato yasmāttasmāttatraiva sāviśat

Translation

クンバカの娘ニーラーは、身をもつ存在の内へ激しく入り込んだ。しかも彼が一つの肢（ただ一部）から成る体質であったため、彼女はまさにそこ—その部分そのものへと入った。

Word by Word

• kuṃbhakasya: of Kumbhaka
• kuṃbhakasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṃbhaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• sutā: daughter
• sutā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sutā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• nīlā: Nīlā
• nīlā: Apposition (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nīlā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• deha-sthāḥ: dwelling in the body
• deha-sthāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deha + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष: 'situated in the body'

• prāviśan: entered
• prāviśan: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-viś (विश् धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• bhṛśam: greatly/strongly
• bhṛśam: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhṛśam (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• eka-avayavataḥ: because of being one-bodied/one-limbed
• eka-avayavataḥ: Hetu (हेतु/पञ्चमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka + avayavin/avayava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (पुं/नपुं), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन); अर्थ: 'from being of one limb/one whole' (reason)

• yasmāt: since/because
• yasmāt: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative indeclinable (यत्-तत् सम्बन्ध), Ablatival sense 'since/from which reason'

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu-phala (हेतु-फल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Correlative indeclinable, Ablatival sense 'therefore/from that'

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb of place (देशवाचक अव्यय)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (अवधारण)

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• aviśat: entered
• aviśat: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: viś (विश् धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Embodiment is permeable to subtle forces; individuality can be affected by non-gross agencies, and constitution (‘ekāvayava’) conditions the mode/location of entry.

Vedantic Theme: Distinction between gross body (sthūla-śarīra) and subtle influences; the body as upādhi (limiting adjunct) subject to guṇa and unseen causality.

Application: Maintain discernment about mind-body vulnerability; cultivate protective disciplines (sattvic conduct, mantra, boundaries) and seek clarity before attributing causation.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.19.73 (Nīlā’s empowered status leading into this event); Garuda Purana 3.19.75 (consequence: birth ‘in two ways’ on earth)

Characters & Entities

• Nīlā
• Kumbhaka

FAQs

What is the importance of āveśa (entry/possession) in Garuda Purana?

This verse depicts a specific named force/entity (Nīlā) entering the embodied being, illustrating how subtle influences can take hold within the deha (body) as part of the Purana’s technical description of inner states tied to karmic conditions.

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

Indirectly, it supports the Preta Kanda framework that the jīva’s experience is mediated through subtle mechanisms connected with embodiment; the text describes how specific forces can ‘enter’ and affect the being, which aligns with the Purana’s broader mapping of post-death states and transitions.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Maintain disciplined conduct and purity of mind-body (dharma, restraint, and right rituals), since the Garuda Purana repeatedly frames inner vulnerability and suffering as connected to one’s karmic condition and the stability of one’s embodied/subtle state.