Shloka 50

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

Devanagari script

जयाद्यानन्तरं ब्रह्मा वल्लाद्याः कर्मदेवताः / शतवर्षानन्तरं तु सृष्टवाञ्छिववाहनम्

Transliteration

jayādyānantaraṃ brahmā vallādyāḥ karmadevatāḥ / śatavarṣānantaraṃ tu sṛṣṭavāñchivavāhanam

Translation

ജയ മുതലായവരുടെ ശേഷം ബ്രഹ്മാവ് വല്ലാ മുതലായ കർമദേവതകളെ സൃഷ്ടിച്ചു; പിന്നെ നൂറു വർഷം കഴിഞ്ഞ് ശിവന്റെ വാഹനം സൃഷ്ടിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• जय-आदि-अनन्तरम्: after Jaya and others
• जय-आदि-अनन्तरम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जय (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक) + अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (after Jaya etc.)

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

• वल्ल-आद्याः: Valla and others
• वल्ल-आद्याः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; in apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वल्ल (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘वल्ल’ इत्यादयः (Valla and others)

• कर्मदेवताः: deities presiding over actions
• कर्मदेवताः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; apposition to वल्लाद्याः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्म + देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (deities of karma/ritual action)

• शतवर्ष-अनन्तरम्: after a hundred years
• शतवर्ष-अनन्तरम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शत + वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (after a hundred years)

• तु: then
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय

• सृष्टवान्: created
• सृष्टवान्: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate; participial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सृज् (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• शिववाहनम्: Śiva's vehicle
• शिववाहनम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव + वाहन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (vehicle of Śiva)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Karma is upheld by presiding intelligences (karmadevatāḥ); cosmic order includes functional deities and vehicles symbolizing divine power.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-kāṇḍa and cosmic governance operate in vyavahāra; ultimate reality remains beyond, yet order is meaningful for embodied beings.

Application: Act with accountability: recognize that actions have structured consequences; cultivate ethical intentionality (saṅkalpa-śuddhi).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: cosmic-creation-sphere

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.13.51-52 (Parjanya, Puṣkara as further functional manifestations)

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Jaya
• Vallā
• Karma-devatās
• Śiva
• Śiva’s vāhana

FAQs

What is the importance of karma-devatās in the Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights that specific deities are appointed to preside over karma, reinforcing the Purāṇic idea that actions are governed, witnessed, and administered within a cosmic order.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By mentioning karma-presiding deities, the verse supports the Garuda Purana’s broader theme that the soul’s post-death experiences are shaped by karmic records and their divine administration.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with accountability: treat actions as consequential and ethically weighty, since karma is portrayed as part of an ordered system rather than mere chance.