Shloka 39
Mukti-tattva Upadeśa: Knowledge as the Direct Cause of Liberation
अपत्यं मे कलत्रं मे धनं मे बान्धवाश्च मे / जल्पन्तमिति मर्त्याजं हन्ति कालवृको बलात्
apatyaṃ me kalatraṃ me dhanaṃ me bāndhavāśca me / jalpantamiti martyājaṃ hanti kālavṛko balāt
“എന്റെ മക്കൾ, എന്റെ ഭാര്യ, എന്റെ ധനം, എന്റെ ബന്ധുക്കൾ”—എന്ന് പിറുപിറുക്കുന്ന മർത്ത്യ-ആടിനെ കാലം എന്ന ചെന്നായ ബലമായി വീഴ്ത്തുന്നു।
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Mamata (mine-ness) blinds mortals; Time inevitably seizes life regardless of claims over family and wealth.
Vedantic Theme: Ahamkara-mamakara as bondage; cultivate vairagya and surrender to the Lord.
Application: Practice aparigraha and stewardship: treat family/wealth as entrusted duties, not possessions; prepare spiritually for death.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: householder setting implied
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: teachings against mamata and for remembrance of death (thematic)
FAQs
This verse teaches that clinging to “mine”—family and wealth—cannot stop death; cultivating detachment prepares one for the inevitable transition and the after-death journey.
It highlights the sudden, forceful certainty of death under Kāla; once death arrives, worldly claims collapse, and the individual must face the post-death state based on karma rather than possessions or relations.
Live responsibly with loved ones, but remember impermanence—prioritize dharma, charity, and spiritual practice so life is not wasted in possessiveness.