Shloka 100

Post-cremation Ripening of Karma and the Principal Narakas

Devanagari script

एकस्तम्बंस्नायुबद्धं स्थूणात्रयविभूषणम् / इन्द्रियैश्च समायुक्तं नवद्वारं शरीरकम्

Transliteration

ekastambaṃsnāyubaddhaṃ sthūṇātrayavibhūṣaṇam / indriyaiśca samāyuktaṃ navadvāraṃ śarīrakam

Translation

Tubuh ini bagaikan satu tiang yang diikat oleh urat-urat, dihiasi dengan tiga tiang penyangga; dilengkapi pancaindera, ia adalah bangunan bersembilan pintu.

Word by Word

• एकस्तम्बस्नायुबद्धम्: bound by sinews to a single pillar
• एकस्तम्बस्नायुबद्धम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक + स्तम्ब + स्नायु + बद्ध (कृदन्त; √बन्ध् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमास (एकः स्तम्बः; स्नायुभिः बद्धम्)

• स्थूणात्रयविभूषणम्: adorned with three posts/pillars
• स्थूणात्रयविभूषणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थूणा + त्रय + विभूषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्थूणात्रयस्य विभूषणम्)

• इन्द्रियैः: with the senses
• इन्द्रियैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction: and)

• समायुक्तम्: endowed, joined
• समायुक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-युक्त (कृदन्त; √युज् धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• नवद्वारम्: having nine gates
• नवद्वारम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नव + द्वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (नव द्वाराणि यस्य)

• शरीरकम्: the body
• शरीरकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The body is a constructed ‘edifice’—bound by sinews, supported by pillars, equipped with senses, and having nine gates—hence not the Self but an instrument.

Vedantic Theme: Śarīra as upādhi; indriya-dvāra model; witness-consciousness distinct from bodily apparatus.

Application: Guard the ‘nine gates’ (sense-restraint), observe sensory inputs, and cultivate mindfulness of the body as a tool rather than identity.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: subsequent ‘city’ metaphors (puram) and bondage by desire/greed

Characters & Entities

• Indriyas

FAQs

What is the importance of the “nine gates” (navadvāra) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames the body as a nine-openings structure, highlighting its functional, impermanent nature and encouraging detachment from bodily identity—an essential theme in Preta Kanda teachings.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

By depicting the body as a constructed frame bound by sinews and driven by senses, the verse implies the soul is distinct from the body; at death, the embodied structure is left behind, supporting the Garuda Purana’s afterlife narrative.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use the teaching to reduce sense-driven habits, cultivate self-discipline and remembrance of the आत्मन् (self), and approach rites and ethical living with the understanding that the body is a temporary vessel.