Shloka 82

Jñāna-hetu-nirūpaṇa

On the Causes/Means of Knowledge

Devanagari script

संसारे वान्धतमसि सर्वत्र हरिदूषकः / मिथ्यादाने ज्ञानबुद्धिर्दुः खे च सुखबुद्धिमान्

Transliteration

saṃsāre vāndhatamasi sarvatra haridūṣakaḥ / mithyādāne jñānabuddhirduḥ khe ca sukhabuddhimān

Translation

സംസാരത്തിൽ, ഇരുട്ടാൽ അന്ധനായവനെപ്പോലെ, അവൻ എല്ലായിടത്തും ഹരിയെ ദൂഷിക്കുന്നു. മിഥ്യാദാനത്തിൽ താനെ ജ്ഞാനിയെന്ന് കരുതുന്നു; ദുഃഖത്തിലും സുഖബുദ്ധി പുലർത്തുന്നു.

Word by Word

• संसारे: in the world (saṃsāra)
• संसारे: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• वा: or/indeed
• वा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• अन्ध-तमसि: in blind darkness
• अन्ध-तमसि: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (descriptive: 'blind darkness'), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• सर्वत्र: everywhere
• सर्वत्र: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• हरि-दूषकः: defamer of Hari
• हरि-दूषकः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक) + दूषक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (object-relation: 'defamer of Hari'), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• मिथ्या-दाने: in false charity
• मिथ्या-दाने: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मिथ्या (अव्यय) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (descriptive: 'false giving'), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• ज्ञान-बुद्धिः: (has) the idea of knowledge
• ज्ञान-बुद्धिः: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक) + बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'notion of knowledge'), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• दुःखे: in suffering
• दुःखे: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• सुख-बुद्धिमान्: thinking it happiness
• सुख-बुद्धिमान्: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक) + बुद्धिमन्त् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'having notion of happiness'), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Kali-driven delusion inverts values: faulting Hari, performing mithyā-dāna, and misperceiving duḥkha as sukha.

Vedantic Theme: Avidyā and viparyaya (inverted cognition); tamas covering buddhi; need for sattva and right discernment.

Application: Practice honest giving (right intention, right recipient, right means), cultivate humility, and check cognitive biases; engage in nāma-smaraṇa and satsanga to restore clarity.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: condemnations of mithyā-dāna and hypocrisy in ritual/charity; Garuda Purana: warnings against hari-nindā and tamasic delusion

Characters & Entities

• Hari

FAQs

What is the importance of avoiding 'haridūṣaṇa' (fault-finding in Hari) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames fault-finding in Hari as a symptom of tamasic delusion that distorts moral judgment, undermining dharma and leading one toward sinful conduct.

How does this verse relate to karma and the soul’s journey described in the Garuda Purana?

By showing how ignorance makes a person misread sin as virtue (false charity as wisdom), it explains why harmful karmas are accumulated—karmas that later bear fruit in Yama’s realm according to the Purana’s afterlife narrative.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Practice honest charity, cultivate discernment (viveka), and avoid cynical or contemptuous speech about the Divine—so that actions align with dharma rather than self-deceiving rationalizations.