Shloka 1

रामायणकथासंक्षेपः — ब्रह्मोक्तो रामावतारवृत्तान्तः

Devanagari script

द्विचत्वारिंशदुत्तरशततमो ऽध्यायः ब्रह्मोवाच / रामायणमतो वक्ष्ये श्रुतं पापविनाशनम् / विष्णुनाभ्यब्जतो ब्रह्मा मरीचिस्तत्सुतो ऽभवत्

Transliteration

dvicatvāriṃśaduttaraśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ brahmovāca / rāmāyaṇamato vakṣye śrutaṃ pāpavināśanam / viṣṇunābhyabjato brahmā marīcistatsuto 'bhavat

Translation

ബ്രഹ്മാവ് അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഇപ്പോൾ ഞാൻ ശ്രുതമായ രാമായണം പറയുന്നു; അത് പാപനാശിനി. വിഷ്ണുവിന്റെ നാഭികമലത്തിൽ നിന്നു ബ്രഹ്മാവ് ഉദിച്ചു; അവന്റെ പുത്രൻ മരീചി ആയി.

Word by Word

• dvi: two
• dvi: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषण (numeral adjective), अव्ययवत्-पूर्वपद (as first member in compound)

• catvāriṃśat: forty
• catvāriṃśat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catvāriṃśat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक (numeral), समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• uttara: additional; plus
• uttara: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण (adjective), समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• śata: hundred
• śata: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक (numeral), समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• tamaḥ: the -th (ordinal, superlative form)
• tamaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tama (प्रत्ययान्त-प्रातिपदिक; तमप्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तमप्-प्रत्यय (superlative/ordinal sense)

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• rāmāyaṇam: the Rāmāyaṇa
• rāmāyaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāmāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• ataḥ: therefore; now
• ataḥ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle/adverb): ‘therefore/now’

• vakṣye: I shall tell
• vakṣye: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• śrutam: heard; learned
• śrutam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śruta (कृदन्त; √śru)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मणि-भाव (heard/learned)

• pāpa: sin
• pāpa: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (collective sense), समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• vināśanam: destroyer (destruction) of sin
• vināśanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vināśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: pāpasya vināśanam (destruction of sin)

• viṣṇu: of Viṣṇu
• viṣṇu: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-सम्बन्धे (genitival relation) as compound member

• nābhi: navel
• nābhi: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nābhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• abja: lotus
• abja: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• taḥ: from
• taḥ: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय; तः)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb): ‘from’ (as in -taḥ)

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• marīciḥ: Marīci
• marīciḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: marīci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• tat: his; that
• tat: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, समासाङ्ग; ‘of him/that’ (genitival sense in compound)

• sutaḥ: son
• sutaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: tasya sutaḥ (his son)

• abhavat: became; was born
• abhavat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Brahma

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Śravaṇa of Rāmāyaṇa as pāpa-vināśana; all creation and teaching are rooted in Viṣṇu.

Vedantic Theme: Īśvara as jagad-ādhāra; nāma-kathā as purifier (citta-śuddhi) leading toward śānti.

Application: Regular listening/recitation of Rāmāyaṇa-kathā with Viṣṇu-smaraṇa as a purificatory discipline.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: cosmic origin locus

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana (Purvakhanda) narrative sections praising śravaṇa-kīrtana as pāpa-hara; Garuda Purana cosmology passages on Brahmā’s origin from Viṣṇu

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Vishnu
• Marici
• Ramayana

FAQs

What is the importance of hearing the Ramayana in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that the Ramayana, received through sacred hearing (śruti/paramparā), is pāpa-vināśana—its recitation and listening are treated as spiritually purifying.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Indirectly: it frames purification through dharmic narratives—hearing sacred history is presented as a means to reduce sin, supporting a cleaner karmic trajectory for the soul.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Regularly listen to or study the Ramayana with reverence, treating it as a disciplined practice for ethical alignment and karmic purification.