Shloka 31

The Explanation of Various Gifts (Dāna) and the Soul’s Entry into Another Body

Devanagari script

कामः क्रोधो ह्यहङ्कारो मनस्तत्रैव नायकः / संहारकश्च कालो ऽयं पुण्यपापसमन्वितः

Transliteration

kāmaḥ krodho hyahaṅkāro manastatraiva nāyakaḥ / saṃhārakaśca kālo 'yaṃ puṇyapāpasamanvitaḥ

Translation

അവിടെ കാമം, ക്രോധം, അഹങ്കാരം നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു; അവയുടെ നായകൻ മനസ്സുതന്നെ. പുണ്യപാപസമന്വിതനായ ഈ കാലൻ സംഹാരകനാണ്.

Word by Word

• कामः: desire
• कामः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• क्रोधः: anger
• क्रोधः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रोध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधान/हेतु-सूचक (indeed/for)

• अहङ्कारः: egoism
• अहङ्कारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहङ्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मनः: mind
• मनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: there)

• एव: only/indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• नायकः: leader
• नायकः: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नायक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• संहारकः: destroyer
• संहारकः: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संहारक (प्रातिपदिक; √हृ (धातु) उपसर्ग-सं + ण्वुल्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction: and)

• कालः: time
• कालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (demonstrative pronoun)

• पुण्यपापसमन्वितः: endowed with merit and sin
• पुण्यपापसमन्वितः: Karta (Adjectival to subject/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य + पाप + समन्वित (प्रातिपदिक; √इ (धातु) उपसर्ग-सम् + नि + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier) of कालः/अयम्

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Mind leads the triad of desire, anger, and ego; Kāla destroys while carrying beings through the mixed results of merit and sin.

Vedantic Theme: Bandha through antaḥkaraṇa-vṛtti and ahaṅkāra; Kāla as the cosmic regulator within prakṛti; need for mastery of mind for liberation.

Application: Cultivate mind-governance (dama, śama), observe triggers of kāma/krodha/ahaṅkāra, and practice daily reflection on impermanence (kāla-smaraṇa) to reduce reactive karma.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana (Pretakalpa): recurring teaching that mind and karma propel the jīva after death; Kāla as agent of dissolution in afterlife narratives

Characters & Entities

• Kāla (Time)

FAQs

What is the importance of controlling kāma, krodha, and ahaṅkāra in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames desire, anger, and ego as core inner forces led by the mind; mastering them reduces karmic bondage that shapes post-death experience.

How does this verse explain the soul’s path after death in the Garuda Purana?

It points to the mind as the driver of impulses that generate punya and papa, while Kāla brings inevitable dissolution—together determining the preta’s conditions and outcomes.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate mindfulness and restraint: observe desire and anger early, weaken ego-driven reactions, and choose actions that increase merit (punya) and reduce harm (papa).