Shloka 36

Sṛṣṭi-krama: Brahmā’s Sequential Creation of Devas, Sages, and Sense-Presiding Powers

Devanagari script

गङ्गां विनिर्ममे ब्रह्मा रसनेन्द्रियदेवताम् / वरुणस्यानन्तरं तु दशवर्षादनन्तरम्

Transliteration

gaṅgāṃ vinirmame brahmā rasanendriyadevatām / varuṇasyānantaraṃ tu daśavarṣādanantaram

Translation

ബ്രഹ്മാവ് രസനേന്ദ്രിയത്തിന്റെ അധിഷ്ഠാതൃദേവതയായി ഗംഗയെ വിനിർമ്മിച്ചു. വരുണനുശേഷം, പിന്നെ പത്ത് വർഷങ്ങളുടെ ഇടവേളയ്ക്ക് ശേഷം, ആ സൃഷ്ടി നടന്നു.

Word by Word

• गङ्गाम्: Gaṅgā
• गङ्गाम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विनिर्ममे: created
• विनिर्ममे: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मा (धातु) उपसर्गः वि + निर्
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• रसन-इन्द्रिय-देवताम्: the deity of the taste-organ
• रसन-इन्द्रिय-देवताम्: कर्म (Karma/Object; appositional)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रसना (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्रिय (प्रातिपदिक) + देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: रसन-इन्द्रियस्य देवता); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वरुणस्य: of Varuṇa / after Varuṇa (contextual)
• वरुणस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अनन्तरम्: afterwards
• अनन्तरम्: कालाधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial)

• तु: then/but
• तु: सम्बन्ध (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• दश-वर्षात्: after ten years
• दश-वर्षात्: अपादान (Apādāna; temporal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दश (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (संख्यापूर्वपद); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अनन्तरम्: afterwards
• अनन्तरम्: कालाधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Sacred waters embody divine function; Gaṅgā as devatā indicates that sensory ‘rasa’ can be sanctified and made a vehicle of purification.

Vedantic Theme: The sacred in the manifest (saguṇa) as a support for inner purification (antaḥkaraṇa-śuddhi).

Application: Engage tīrtha-smaraṇa and water-reverence; use ritual sipping (ācamana) and gratitude practices to sacralize consumption; cultivate purity in speech and intake.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: sacred river

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana (tīrtha-mahātmyas and śrāddha-related river sanctity elsewhere; 3.13 here for indriya-devatā)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Ganga
• Varuna

FAQs

What is the significance of Gaṅgā being called the deity of the organ of taste in the Garuda Purana?

This verse links Gaṅgā to rasanendriya (taste), presenting her as a presiding power behind sensory function—an example of Purāṇic cosmology where bodily faculties are governed by divine principles.

How does this verse relate to the Garuda Purana’s broader teachings?

Although the Garuda Purana is famous for afterlife teachings, it also contains cosmological sections; here it describes orderly manifestation of deities and their functional roles, framing the body and cosmos as interconnected.

What practical takeaway can be drawn from this verse today?

Treat sensory experience—especially food and speech (tongue-related)—as sacred and disciplined, remembering that the senses are not merely physical but are guided by higher principles.