Shloka 40

The Explanation of Various Gifts (Dāna) and the Soul’s Entry into Another Body

Devanagari script

एतद्गुणसमायुक्तं शरीरं सर्वदेहिनाम् / तिष्ठन्ति देवताः सर्वा भुवनानि चतुर्दश

Transliteration

etadguṇasamāyuktaṃ śarīraṃ sarvadehinām / tiṣṭhanti devatāḥ sarvā bhuvanāni caturdaśa

Translation

Tubuh semua makhluk yang menjelma ini dikurniakan dengan sifat-sifat ini; di dalamnya bersemayam semua dewa, dan juga empat belas dunia.

Word by Word

• एतद्गुणसमायुक्तम्: endowed with these qualities
• एतद्गुणसमायुक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् + गुण + समायुक्त (कृदन्त; √युज् धातु with सम्-आ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्यय; समास: एतद्-गुण-समायुक्तम् = endowed with these qualities

• शरीरम्: body
• शरीरम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• सर्वदेहिनाम्: of all embodied beings
• सर्वदेहिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• तिष्ठन्ति: stand; abide
• तिष्ठन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• देवताः: deities
• देवताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; देवताः इति विशेषण

• भुवनानि: worlds
• भुवनानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• चतुर्दश: fourteen
• चतुर्दश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्दश (संख्यावाचक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; संख्या-विशेषण (fourteen)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vainateya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The embodied frame contains (symbolically) all deities and the fourteen worlds; the body is a locus of cosmic order as well as bondage.

Vedantic Theme: Piṇḍa-brahmāṇḍa correspondence; immanence of the divine; body as field (kṣetra) for realization.

Application: Treat the body as a sacred instrument: maintain purity, perform inner worship, and use embodied life for sādhanā rather than indulgence.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: symbolic cosmos-within

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: cosmology of fourteen worlds (caturdaśa-bhuvana) in cosmological sections (general); Garuda Purana 2.31.38-39 (body-city allegory) provides contrast: microcosm yet bondage

Characters & Entities

• Devatāḥ
• Caturdaśa-bhuvanāni

FAQs

What is the importance of the body being called a seat of the fourteen worlds in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents the body as a microcosm: the same cosmic principles and planes (the fourteen worlds) are reflected within embodied existence, linking personal conduct and inner constitution to the broader cosmic order.

How does this verse relate to the soul’s journey after death in the Garuda Purana?

By describing the body as guṇa-endowed and cosmically structured, it frames death not as an end but as a transition governed by subtle principles; the soul’s post-death experience is understood through the guṇas and the cosmic order mirrored in embodiment.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat the body as a sacred, duty-bearing vessel: cultivate sattva through ethical living, restraint, and devotion, since one’s inner guṇas shape perception, choices, and (in Garuda Purana’s framework) the trajectory beyond death.