Shloka 34

Dāna-vrata and the Tīrtha Circuit of Venkaṭādri

Snāna, Mantra, Naivedya

Devanagari script

ममावतारपर्यन्तं चरित्वा तप उत्तमम् / योगधारण या देहं त्यक्त्वा जांबवतो गृहे

Transliteration

mamāvatāraparyantaṃ caritvā tapa uttamam / yogadhāraṇa yā dehaṃ tyaktvā jāṃbavato gṛhe

Translation

माझ्या अवतारापर्यंत तिने उत्तम तप केले; नंतर योगधारणेने जांबवानाच्या घरी देहत्याग केला.

Word by Word

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana (एकवचन), pronoun

• avatāraparyantam: up to (my) incarnation
• avatāraparyantam: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: avatāra + paryanta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva (अव्ययीभाव) used adverbially: ‘up to (my) descent/incarnation’; accusative-ending form functioning as avyaya

• caritvā: having practised
• caritvā: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: car (धातु)
• Form: Ktvā-pratyaya (क्त्वा), absolutive/gerund (पूर्वकालिक क्रिया)

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• uttamam: supreme
• uttamam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana (एकवचन); viśeṣaṇa of tapaḥ

• yogadhāraṇā: yogic concentration (dhāraṇā)
• yogadhāraṇā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoga + dhāraṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana (एकवचन); (contextually: ‘(by) yogic concentration/retention’)

• yā: who
• yā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana (एकवचन), relative pronoun

• deham: body
• deham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• tyaktvā: having abandoned
• tyaktvā: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tyaj (धातु)
• Form: Ktvā-pratyaya (क्त्वा), absolutive/gerund

• jāṃbavataḥ: of Jāmbavat
• jāṃbavataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāṃbavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Ṣaṣṭhī (6th), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• gṛhe: in the house
• gṛhe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Saptamī (7th/सप्तमी), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Yogadhāraṇā enables conscious relinquishment of the body (icchā-mṛtyu / yogic exit), indicating mastery over prāṇa and detachment.

Vedantic Theme: Vairāgya and prāṇa-nirodha as auxiliaries; the body as upādhi to be transcended; alignment with īśvara-kāla (divine order).

Application: Cultivate steady meditation and detachment; prepare for death with awareness (smṛti, japa, calm mind) rather than fear-driven clinging.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: mythic household/heroic dwelling (often associated with cave/forest setting in broader tradition)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: teachings on death-awareness, prāṇa, and the importance of mental state at departure (general motif); Garuda Purana: narratives where tapas culminates in yogic attainment (general motif)

Characters & Entities

• Lord Vishnu
• Jāmbavān

FAQs

What is the importance of yoga-dhāraṇā in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents yoga-dhāraṇā as a disciplined, conscious method of relinquishing the body, implying mastery of mind and prāṇa rather than an accidental or unconscious death.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By linking supreme tapas with deliberate yogic concentration at death, the verse implies a spiritually prepared transition—where inner steadiness at the final moment is central to one’s onward journey.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate daily discipline—ethical living, steady meditation, and self-restraint—so that the mind becomes trained in dhāraṇā and can face life’s endings with composure and clarity.