Shloka 51

Nārāyaṇa-Smaraṇa as the Supreme Dharma, Expiation, and Yogic Purifier

Devanagari script

यथा प्राप्तवनो वह्निर्दहत्यार्द्रमपीन्धनम् / तथाविधः स्थितो विष्णुर्योगिनां सर्वकिल्विषम्

Transliteration

yathā prāptavano vahnirdahatyārdramapīndhanam / tathāvidhaḥ sthito viṣṇuryogināṃ sarvakilviṣam

Translation

വ്യാപിച്ച വനാഗ്നി നനഞ്ഞ ഇന്ധനവും ദഹിപ്പിക്കുന്നതുപോലെ, അന്തര്യാമിയായി നിലകൊള്ളുന്ന വിഷ്ണു യോഗികളുടെ സർവ്വ പാപങ്ങളെയും ദഹിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• yathā: just as
• yathā: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानार्थक-अव्यय (comparative particle: 'just as')

• prāptavanaḥ: having reached the forest
• prāptavanaḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāpta (कृदन्त) + vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष: 'वनं प्राप्तः' (having reached the forest)

• vahniḥ: fire
• vahniḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vahni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• dahati: burns
• dahati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dah (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• ārdram: wet
• ārdram: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ārdra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifier of indhanam)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-अव्यय (particle: 'even/also')

• indhanam: fuel
• indhanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• tathāvidhaḥ: of such a kind
• tathāvidhaḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tathā (अव्यय) + vidha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष: 'तथा-विदः/तथा-विधः' (of such a kind)

• sthitaḥ: abiding/established
• sthitaḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय) → sthita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• yoginām: of yogins
• yoginām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yogin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• sarvakilviṣam: all sin
• sarvakilviṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + kilviṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय: 'सर्वं किल्विषम्' (all sin)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Viṣṇu, abiding as indwelling reality for yogins, burns away all sins like a spreading forest fire consumes even damp fuel.

Vedantic Theme: Antaryāmin/Īśvara as inner purifier; pāpa-kṣaya through yoga supported by divine presence; movement from mala (impurity) toward mokṣa.

Application: Sustain yoga-abhyāsa with devotion to Viṣṇu as inner witness; combine discipline with surrender to accelerate pāpa-kṣaya.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: wilderness

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: yoga and Viṣṇu-bhakti as means of pāpa-kṣaya (theme-level parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Yogins

FAQs

What is the importance of sin-destruction (kilviṣa-kṣaya) in Garuda Purana?

This verse states that the realized presence of Viṣṇu functions like an all-consuming fire, capable of removing even stubborn karmic impurities in a yogin.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

It emphasizes inner purification through yoga and abiding in Viṣṇu; when karmic taints are burned, the soul’s movement toward liberation is unhindered by sin.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate steady yoga practice with remembrance of Viṣṇu (devotion and inner discipline), aiming for genuine transformation rather than merely external acts.