Shloka 131

Multi-form Manifestations, Indra–Kāma Incarnations, Pravāha, and the Twofold Buddhi

Sense-Discipline and Exclusive Refuge in Viṣṇu

Devanagari script

यदा पञ्चम्यां मृन्मयीं शेषमूर्तिं संपूज्य भक्त्या विद्यमाने स्वगेहे / तदा बद्ध्वा यमदूताश्च सम्यक् संनह्यमाने नागपाशैश्चबद्ध्वा

Transliteration

yadā pañcamyāṃ mṛnmayīṃ śeṣamūrtiṃ saṃpūjya bhaktyā vidyamāne svagehe / tadā baddhvā yamadūtāśca samyak saṃnahyamāne nāgapāśaiścabaddhvā

Translation

月の第五日パーンチャミーに、自宅にて土で作ったシェーシャ（Śeṣa）の御像を信愛（バクティ）をもって供養するなら、たとえヤマ（Yama）の使者が捕らえて縛ろうとしても、その拘束の力は抑えられ、縛られる者はあたかもシェーシャの「蛇の縄」（nāga-pāśa）によって守護される。

Word by Word

• yadā: when
• yadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Temporal adverb (कालवाचक-अव्यय)

• pañcamyām: on the fifth day
• pañcamyām: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañcamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Saptamī (7th), Ekavacana; 'on the fifth (lunar day)'

• mṛnmayīm: clay-made
• mṛnmayīm: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛn-maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: mṛdaḥ mayī (made of clay)

• śeṣa-mūrtim: the image of Śeṣa
• śeṣa-mūrtim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śeṣa-mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: śeṣasya mūrtiḥ

• saṃpūjya: having worshipped
• saṃpūjya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-pūj (सम्पूज् धातु) + lyap (ल्यप्)
• Form: Gerund (ल्यबन्त/ल्यप्), indeclinable

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Tṛtīyā (3rd), Ekavacana

• vidyamāne: while being present
• vidyamāne: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vid (विद् धातु) + śānac (शानच्)
• Form: Present middle participle (वर्तमान-कृदन्त, आत्मनेपद), Saptamī (7th), Ekavacana; locative absolute: 'while (he) is present'

• sva-gehe: in (his) own house
• sva-gehe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + geha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Saptamī (7th), Ekavacana; karmadhāraya: svam geham

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Temporal adverb (कालवाचक-अव्यय)

• baddhvā: having bound
• baddhvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bandh (बन्ध् धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), indeclinable

• yamadūtāḥ: Yama's messengers
• yamadūtāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama-dūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Bahuvacana

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (समुच्चय निपात)

• samyak: properly
• samyak: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samyak (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• saṃnahyamāne: while being bound/fastened
• saṃnahyamāne: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-nah (संनह् धातु) + śānac (शानच्)
• Form: Present passive participle (वर्तमान-कृदन्त, कर्मणि), Saptamī (7th), Ekavacana; locative absolute: 'while being tied/fastened'

• nāga-pāśaiḥ: with serpent-nooses
• nāga-pāśaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga-pāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā (3rd), Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa: nāgasya pāśaḥ (serpent-noose)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (समुच्चय निपात)

• baddhvā: having bound
• baddhvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bandh (बन्ध् धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), indeclinable; repetition for emphasis

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in dialogue, instructing Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Devotional worship (bhaktyā) of Śeṣa on Pañcamī functions as rakṣā—spiritual protection that obstructs hostile forces at death.

Vedantic Theme: Īśvara-anugraha overriding fear; the power of upāsanā to transform one’s karmic trajectory at critical liminal moments.

Application: Observe Pañcamī with Śeṣa-pūjā (mṛnmaya-mūrti, home worship) as a vow for protection and steadiness in dharma; cultivate daily remembrance of Viṣṇu’s attendants (Śeṣa) as refuge.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: household shrine

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana, Pretakalpa themes: Yamadūta binding and release through devotion (general motif across Pretakalpa); Garuda Purana: Nāga/Śeṣa-related vrata narratives (Pañcamī/ Nāga-pañcamī clusters)

Characters & Entities

• Shesha (Ananta)
• Yamadutas
• Yama
• Naga-pasha

FAQs

What is the importance of Pañcamī worship of Śeṣa in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents Pañcamī worship of an earthen Śeṣa-mūrti at home as a protective observance, implying spiritual safeguarding against the coercive force attributed to Yama’s messengers.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul and the role of Yama-dūtas?

It assumes the post-death (or karmic) framework where Yama-dūtas restrain beings for judgment, and teaches that specific devotional rites can mitigate that fearful binding and its consequences.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Observe Pañcamī with sincere devotion—simple home worship, ethical living, and remembrance of dharma—using the rite as a prompt to reduce harmful actions that lead to fear and accountability.