Shloka 17
Mukti-tattva Upadeśa: Knowledge as the Direct Cause of Liberation
विना देहेन कस्यापि पुरुषार्थो न विद्यते / तस्माद्देहं धनं रक्षेत्पुण्यकर्माणि साधयेत्
vinā dehena kasyāpi puruṣārtho na vidyate / tasmāddehaṃ dhanaṃ rakṣetpuṇyakarmāṇi sādhayet
身体なくしては、いかなる者も人の目的（プルシャールタ）を成就できない。ゆえに身体を財のごとく守り、功徳ある行いに励むべきである。
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue, instructing Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Śarīra is the indispensable means for puruṣārtha; therefore protect it and engage in puṇya-karmas.
Vedantic Theme: Body as upādhi/instrument—not ultimate Self—yet valuable as a vehicle for sādhana; karma-yoga orientation toward purification.
Application: Maintain health and longevity ethically (sleep, diet, restraint), avoid self-harmful habits, and commit to regular meritorious actions (dāna, seva, vrata, worship).
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: emphasis on puṇya as support in post-death journey (common motif); Garuda Purana: practical injunctions on conduct and charity (general internal resonance)
FAQs
This verse states that the body is the necessary instrument for pursuing puruṣārthas—especially dharma and mokṣa—so it should be safeguarded and used for puṇya-karma.
By emphasizing puṇya-karma while embodied, it implies that one’s post-death condition and passage are shaped by merits earned during life, which can only be accumulated effectively while living in a body.
Maintain health and self-discipline, treat the body as a sacred resource, and regularly perform ethical actions, charity, and duties that generate puṇya rather than wasting embodied life.