Shloka 90
Śrāddha as Trans-realm Nourishment; Pitṛ-Conveyance; Piṇḍa-born Body and the ātivāhika; Bhakti-based Release
गरुड उवाच / तीर्त्वा दुः खभवाम्भोधिं भवन्तं कथमाप्नुयात् / बहुपातकयुक्तो ऽपि तद्वदस्व दयानिधे
garuḍa uvāca / tīrtvā duḥ khabhavāmbhodhiṃ bhavantaṃ kathamāpnuyāt / bahupātakayukto 'pi tadvadasva dayānidhe
Garuda berkata: “Setelah menyeberangi lautan duka kewujudan duniawi (saṃsāra), bagaimana seseorang dapat mencapai-Mu? Walau dibebani banyak dosa, mohon katakanlah itu kepadaku, wahai khazanah belas kasih.”
Garuda (Vinata-putra)
Concept: Even the heavily sinful can attain the Lord by the taught means; liberation is framed as crossing saṃsāra through divine grace and right practice.
Vedantic Theme: Śaraṇāgati and bhakti as purifiers; the Lord as the far shore (pāra) of saṃsāra.
Application: Adopt a sincere, humble inquiry; begin regular remembrance of Viṣṇu and seek instruction from scripture/teacher without despair over past faults.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana, Preta-kalpa sections on Viṣṇu-smaraṇa as refuge for the departed (general thematic link); Garuda Purana, Dharma/Mokṣa-oriented dialogues where Garuḍa questions and the Lord instructs (structural parallel)
FAQs
This verse frames liberation as crossing the vast ocean of suffering-filled worldly existence, and asks for the direct means to attain the Lord beyond it.
Garuḍa explicitly asks how even a person burdened with many sins (bahu-pātaka) can still attain the compassionate Lord, implying that divine grace and the right path can overcome heavy demerit.
Cultivate sincere devotion and repentance, seek guidance in dharmic living, and rely on compassion rather than despair—because the verse emphasizes that even the heavily flawed can turn toward liberation.