Shloka 64

Devanagari script

यो येन संवसत्येषां स तल्लिङ्गो ऽभिजायते / संवत्सरेण पतति पतितेन सहाचरन्

Transliteration

yo yena saṃvasatyeṣāṃ sa talliṅgo 'bhijāyate / saṃvatsareṇa patati patitena sahācaran

Translation

誰と共に住まうかによって、その者はまさに彼らの性質と徴を帯びて生じる。堕落者（パティタ）と交わり、共に振る舞う者は、一年のうちに堕落者となる。

Word by Word

यःwhoever

येनwith whom

संवसतिdwells, associates

एषाम्of these (persons)

सःhe

तल्लिङ्गःof that same nature/mark

अभिजायतेis born (as), becomes

संवत्सरेणwithin a year / by a year

पततिfalls (from status)

पतितेनwith a fallen person

सहtogether with

आचरन्associating/behaving (with)

Speaker

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

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Association shapes character and destiny; living with the fallen makes one fall within a year through shared conduct.

Vedantic Theme: Saṅga as a driver of saṃskāra; mind takes the form of its objects/companions (saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ—broad Gītā echo).

Application: Curate one’s community; practice satsanga; set boundaries with harmful influences; adopt accountability and supportive ethical networks.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: social sphere (saṅga)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana admonitions on sadācāra and avoiding pāpa-saṅga in dharma-oriented passages

Characters & Entities

Patita (fallen person)

FAQs

What is the importance of association (satsanga/dusanga) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that close company shapes one’s character; living with the unrighteous makes one adopt their “liṅga” (disposition) and leads to moral and spiritual decline.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in the Garuda Purana context?

By warning that habitual association with the fallen produces the same tendencies and sins, it explains how karmic patterns are formed—patterns that later influence one’s post-death condition and consequences described in the Preta Kanda.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Choose daily companionship, mentors, and communities that support dharma; avoid sustained intimacy with harmful influences, since repeated co-living and imitation quickly reshape conduct and values.