Shloka 30

Kāraṇānvēṣaṇam: The 32 Marks of Hari, Defects (Doṣas), Death-Omens, and Hari’s Omnipresence in Social & Household Life

Devanagari script

षड्भिश्च देवगन्धर्वाः पञ्चभिस्तदनन्तराः / चतुर्भैः क्षितिपाः प्रोक्तास्त्रिभिरन्ये च संयुताः

Transliteration

ṣaḍbhiśca devagandharvāḥ pañcabhistadanantarāḥ / caturbhaiḥ kṣitipāḥ proktāstribhiranye ca saṃyutāḥ

Translation

देव-गंधर्व सहा गुणांनी युक्त असे सांगितले आहेत; त्यानंतरचे पाच गुणांचे. क्षितिप (पृथ्वीचे राजे) चार गुणांचे म्हटले आहेत, आणि इतर तीन गुणांनी संयुक्त आहेत.

Word by Word

• षड्भिः: with six
• षड्भिः: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षष् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन; numeral adjective

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्ध (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• देवगन्धर्वाः: the divine Gandharvas
• देवगन्धर्वाः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (देवानां गन्धर्वाः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• पञ्चभिः: with five
• पञ्चभिः: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन; numeral adjective

• तत्: that/thereafter
• तत्: सम्बन्ध (Deictic/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun used adverbially with अनन्तर

• अनन्तराः: next/coming after
• अनन्तराः: कर्तृसम्बन्धी विशेषण (Predicate adjective/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; predicative adjective

• चतुर्भिः: with four
• चतुर्भिः: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन; numeral adjective

• क्षितिपाः: kings/earth-protectors
• क्षितिपाः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षितिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (क्षितेः पाः = पृथिव्याः पालकाः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• प्रोक्ताः: are declared/said
• प्रोक्ताः: क्रिया (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; passive sense ‘are said/declared’

• त्रिभिः: with three
• त्रिभिः: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन; numeral adjective

• अन्ये: others
• अन्ये: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘others’ (substantivized adjective)

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्ध (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• संयुताः: joined/associated
• संयुताः: कर्तृसम्बन्धी विशेषण (Predicate adjective/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + युज् (धातु) → संयुत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Gradation of beings by guṇa/qualities and consequent status.

Vedantic Theme: Adhikāra-bheda (difference of eligibility/capacity) within saṃsāra; relative excellence without asserting ultimate reality of hierarchy.

Application: Use discernment about competence and character; recognize that roles and honors follow cultivated qualities.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.22 (lakṣaṇa/guṇa-based classification context)

Characters & Entities

• Deva-Gandharvas
• Kṣitipās (kings/rulers)

FAQs

What is the importance of classifying beings by numbers (six, five, four, three) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents a graded hierarchy, indicating that different classes of beings are distinguished by a decreasing set of defining qualities or endowments, reinforcing the Purana’s cosmological order.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in the Garuda Purana narrative?

By mapping beings into tiers of endowment, it implicitly frames the soul’s journey as movement through ordered realms where status corresponds to accumulated merit, refinement, and spiritual capacity.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use it as a reminder to cultivate higher qualities—self-control, truthfulness, and dharmic conduct—so one’s life steadily aligns with more refined states of being described in the text.