Shloka 50

Adhyaya 2 — The Lineage of Garuda and the Birth of the Wise Birds: Kanka and Kandhara

Sanskrit

एके म्रियन्ते स्वगृहे पलायन्तोऽपरे जनाः ।

भुञ्जन्तोऽन्नं तथैवापः पिबन्तो निधनं गताः ॥

Transliteration

eke mriyante svagṛhe palāyanto 'pare janāḥ | bhuñjanto 'nnaṃ tathaivāpaḥ pibanto nidhanaṃ gatāḥ ||

Translation

ある者は自らの家で死に、ある者は逃走のさなかに死ぬ。同様に、食事中に終わる者もいれば、水を飲む時に終わる者もいる。

Word by Word

• eke: some (people)
• eke: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचन — ‘some’

• mriyante: die
• mriyante: Kriya (क्रिया/finite verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: mṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद

• sva-gṛhe: in (their) own house
• sva-gṛhe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive tatpuruṣa: ‘one’s own house’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन

• palāyantaḥ: fleeing
• palāyantaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: palāy (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचन

• apare: others
• apare: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचन — ‘others’

• janāḥ: people
• janāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचन

• bhuñjantaḥ: eating
• bhuñjantaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• annam: food
• annam: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• tathā: thus/so
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक अव्यय (adverb: ‘thus/so’)

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

• āpaḥ: water
• āpaḥ: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āp (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (बहुवचन-प्राय), प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचन — ‘waters’

• pibantaḥ: drinking
• pibantaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pā (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• nidhanam: death/destruction
• nidhanam: Karma (कर्म/object/goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nidhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• gatāḥ: having gone (to)/having met
• gatāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject complement)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — ‘gone/attained’

Speakers

• Uncertain from verse alone (depends on edition’s framing of Adhyāya 2); presented as a general observation within the early narrative discourse

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "karuna", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Impermanence
• Inevitability of death
• Human helplessness before time (kāla)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse underscores the inescapability of death: neither safety (home), nor strategy (flight), nor ordinary life-acts (eating, drinking) guarantee protection. Ethically, it encourages sobriety, non-complacency, and timely pursuit of dharma and right living rather than false security.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This verse is best classed under ancillary dharma/philosophical instruction rather than the strict pañcalakṣaṇa headings. Indirectly it supports a Purāṇic didactic function (upadeśa) that accompanies genealogies and manvantara material, but it is not itself sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita.

What is the esoteric significance?

Esoterically, it points to kāla (Time) as the unseen sovereign: death can arrive amid both fear (flight) and comfort (home), amid both consumption (food) and sustenance (water). The teaching is to shift identity from transient bodily circumstances to steadier spiritual orientation (dharma/ātma-jñāna), since external conditions do not control the final outcome.