Shloka 7

The Extent of Questions: Deathbed Rites, Kāla (Time), and Karma-Vipāka Rebirths

Devanagari script

यदा पुष्पं प्रनष्टं हि क्व तदा गर्भधारणम् / आदराच्च ततो भूमौ येन गर्भं प्रधार्यते

Transliteration

yadā puṣpaṃ pranaṣṭaṃ hi kva tadā garbhadhāraṇam / ādarācca tato bhūmau yena garbhaṃ pradhāryate

Translation

മാസിക പുഷ്പകാലം കഴിഞ്ഞാൽ ഗർഭധാരണം എങ്ങനെ നിലനിൽക്കും? അതിനാൽ ആദരത്തോടെ യോജ്യസമയത്ത് സംഗമം ചെയ്യണം; അതുവഴി ഗർഭം ദൃഢമായി ധരിക്കപ്പെടും.

Word by Word

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb of time)

• पुष्पम्: flower
• पुष्पम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रनष्टम्: destroyed/lost
• प्रनष्टम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नश् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• क्व: where/what then
• क्व: Prashna (Question/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (correlative adverb of time)

• गर्भधारणम्: bearing of the embryo/pregnancy
• गर्भधारणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक) + धारण (धृ धातु, ल्युट्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (गर्भस्य धारणम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• आदरात्: from respect/with care
• आदरात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ततः: thereafter/from that
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (ablatival adverb: from there/thereafter)

• भूमौ: on the ground
• भूमौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक (Masc./Neut.), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• गर्भम्: embryo/womb
• गर्भम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रधार्यते: is borne/sustained
• प्रधार्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ṛtu-dharma: conception is sustained when union occurs at the proper fertile time; careful timing supports garbha-dhāraṇa.

Vedantic Theme: Order (ṛta/dharma) in embodied life; responsible procreation as part of gṛhastha obligations.

Application: Observe fertility timing and approach conception with mutual consent, health, and appropriate timing; treat procreation as a responsible, dharmic act.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shringara

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: household/domestic setting (implied)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: household duties and saṃskāras; procreation ethics in gṛhastha context (thematic parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Garbha (embryo)

FAQs

What does 'puṣpa' mean in this Garuda Purana verse?

Here 'puṣpa' is a traditional euphemism for the woman's fertile menstrual period; the verse says conception is not sustained once that proper time has passed.

How does this verse relate to Garuda Purana’s broader teaching on birth and embodiment?

It frames embodiment as dependent on precise conditions—right timing and careful conduct—supporting the text’s larger discussion of how a jīva obtains a body through orderly biological and karmic processes.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

It encourages responsible family life: planning and care in matters of conception, respect for bodily cycles, and mindful conduct aligned with grihastha-dharma.