Shloka 71

Mukti-tattva Upadeśa: Knowledge as the Direct Cause of Liberation

Devanagari script

षर्ड्शनमहाकूपे पतिताः पशवः खग / परमार्थं न जानन्ति पशुपाशनियन्त्रिताः

Transliteration

ṣarḍśanamahākūpe patitāḥ paśavaḥ khaga / paramārthaṃ na jānanti paśupāśaniyantritāḥ

Translation

おおクハガ（ガルダ）よ、六つの学説という大井戸に落ちた獣のごとく、彼らは最高の真義（パラマールタ）を知らない。獣を縛る縄（パーシャ）により、束縛された魂として制せられているからである。

Word by Word

• षट्-दर्शन-महा-कूपे: in the great well of the six systems (of philosophy)
• षट्-दर्शन-महा-कूपे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षट् (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक) + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक) + महा (प्रातिपदिक) + कूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—द्विगु (षट्-दर्शनानि यस्मिन्/षड्दर्शनसम्बद्धः)

• पतिताः: fallen
• पतिताः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पतित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √पत् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• पशवः: beasts/creatures
• पशवः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पशु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• खग: O bird (Garuda)
• खग: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• परम-अर्थम्: the highest truth/ultimate meaning
• परम-अर्थम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (परमः अर्थः)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (निषेध/Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• जानन्ति: know
• जानन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• पशु-पाश-नियन्त्रिताः: controlled by the noose of animality (bondage)
• पशु-पाश-नियन्त्रिताः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पशु (प्रातिपदिक) + पाश (प्रातिपदिक) + नियन्त्रित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √यम्/यन्त्र् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (नियन्त्रित); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (पशुपाशेन नियन्त्रिताः)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Mere immersion in the six darśanas without realizing paramārtha leaves one bound (paśu) by pāśa—limitations of ego, attachment, and conceptual fixation.

Vedantic Theme: Critique of śāstra-jāla without aparokṣa-anubhava; bondage as avidyā and upādhi; need to transcend sectarian/systemic identification toward Brahma-tattva.

Application: Study philosophies as tools, not identities; test learning against lived transformation (reduced ego, increased clarity/compassion); practice inquiry into the seer (draṣṭā) beyond concepts.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: metaphorical

Cross References

Related Themes: 2.49.72–74 expand the critique: being swept by śāstra currents, stuck in logic, crow-chatter learning

Characters & Entities

• Garuda (Khaga)

FAQs

What is the importance of ‘paramārtha’ (highest truth) in this Garuda Purana verse?

The verse contrasts ultimate truth (paramārtha) with mere intellectual entanglement, warning that without liberation-oriented insight one remains bound like a ‘paśu’ (a constrained soul).

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

It says beings become ‘paśavaḥ’ because they are niyantrita (controlled) by paśu-pāśa—binding attachments and limiting identifications—so they fail to realize the highest truth.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use study and debate as supports, not substitutes: cultivate detachment, ethical living, and direct spiritual practice aimed at liberation rather than getting trapped in rigid viewpoints.