Shloka 13

Bhakti-māhātmya: The Marks of the Vaiṣṇava and the Liberating Power of Exclusive Devotion

Devanagari script

एकान्तिनः स्ववपुषा गच्छन्ति परमं पदम् / एकान्तेन समो विष्णुस्तस्मादेषां परायणः

Transliteration

ekāntinaḥ svavapuṣā gacchanti paramaṃ padam / ekāntena samo viṣṇustasmādeṣāṃ parāyaṇaḥ

Translation

ഏകാന്തഭക്തർ തങ്ങളുടെ തന്നെ സ്വരൂപത്തോടെയേ പരമപദം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു. ഈ ഏകാഗ്രഭക്തിയാൽ വിഷ്ണു അവർക്കു സമമായി അത്യന്തം സന്നിഹിതനാകുന്നു; അതുകൊണ്ട് അവൻ തന്നെയാണ് അവരുടെ പരമാശ്രയവും പരമഗതിയും।

Word by Word

• एकान्तिनः: exclusive (single-minded) devotees
• एकान्तिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकान्तिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• स्ववपुषा: with their own body
• स्ववपुषा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व-वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; समासः (स्वस्य वपुः)

• गच्छन्ति: go; attain
• गच्छन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (पदम्)

• पदम्: state; abode
• पदम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म/गति-लक्ष्य), एकवचन

• एकान्तेन: by exclusive devotion; with single-mindedness
• एकान्तेन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/सह), एकवचन

• समः: equal
• समः: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (विष्णुः)

• विष्णुः: Vishnu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Sambandha (Logical connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तस्मात् (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: हेतु/निष्कर्ष-बोधक अव्यय (ablatival adverb: 'therefore/from that')

• एषाम्: of these (devotees)
• एषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• परायणः: the supreme refuge; ultimate resort
• परायणः: Visheshya (Predicate nominative/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (विधेय), एकवचन; विष्णोः विशेषणरूपेण

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vainateya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ekānta (ananya) devotion grants attainment of the supreme state with personal identity intact; Viṣṇu becomes intimately accessible to such devotees.

Vedantic Theme: Personalist mokṣa: sālokya/sāmīpya/sārūpya motifs; grace (prasāda) responding to exclusive devotion; harmony of jīva’s individuality with divine proximity.

Application: Cultivate single-pointed practice (nāma, smaraṇa, pūjā) reducing competing ultimate loyalties; keep one ‘final refuge’ in crises; simplify life to support steady remembrance.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: transcendent abode/state

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: praise of ananya-bhakti as direct means to liberation (contextual parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of ekānta-bhakti in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that exclusive, single-pointed devotion is itself a direct means to reach the supreme state, making Viṣṇu the devotee’s final refuge and goal.

How does this verse explain the soul’s destination after death?

It emphasizes a liberation-oriented outcome: the ekāntin attains the supreme abode (paramaṁ padam), suggesting transcendence beyond ordinary post-death routes governed by karma and fear.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate steady, undivided devotion—regular remembrance of Viṣṇu, disciplined worship, and ethical living aligned with that devotion—so the mind becomes single-pointed rather than scattered.