Shloka 3

Mukti-tattva Upadeśa: Knowledge as the Direct Cause of Liberation

Devanagari script

नानाविधशरीरस्था अनन्ता जीवराशयः / जायन्ते च म्रियन्ते च तेषामन्तो न विद्यते

Transliteration

nānāvidhaśarīrasthā anantā jīvarāśayaḥ / jāyante ca mriyante ca teṣāmanto na vidyate

Translation

Makhluk hidup yang tidak terbilang banyaknya berdiam dalam pelbagai jenis tubuh. Mereka lahir dan mati, namun bagi mereka tiada terlihat penghujung bagi putaran ini.

Word by Word

• नाना-विध-शरीर-स्थाः: dwelling in bodies of various kinds
• नाना-विध-शरीर-स्थाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना (अव्यय) + विध (प्रातिपदिक) + शरीर (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थ (कृदन्त; √स्था)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (नानाविधेषु शरीरेषु स्थाः); nominative plural masculine

• अनन्ताः: endless, innumerable
• अनन्ताः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; nominative plural masculine

• जीव-राशयः: multitudes of living beings
• जीव-राशयः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीव (प्रातिपदिक) + राशि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जीवानां राशयः); nominative plural masculine

• जायन्ते: are born
• जायन्ते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; present indicative, 3rd person plural (Ātmanepada)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय; conjunction

• म्रियन्ते: die
• म्रियन्ते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; present indicative, 3rd person plural (Ātmanepada)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय; conjunction

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; genitive plural (of them)

• अन्तः: end
• अन्तः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; nominative singular masculine

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय; negation particle

• विद्यते: exists/is found
• विद्यते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; present indicative, 3rd person singular (Ātmanepada)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Embodiment is manifold and recurring; without liberation there is no ‘end’ to birth and death for the jīva-stream.

Vedantic Theme: Saṃsāra as anādi (beginningless) and seemingly ananta until knowledge/realization; vairāgya arises from seeing repetition of janma-mṛtyu.

Application: Contemplate impermanence and repeated patterns; cultivate dispassion and prioritize practices that aim at release rather than mere improvement within the cycle.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: cosmic/biological panorama (metaphorical)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.49: builds the problem statement (endless births) that the mokṣa-upāya must solve.

Characters & Entities

• Jivas (embodied beings)

FAQs

What is the importance of samsara (the cycle of birth and death) in Garuda Purana?

This verse stresses that embodied beings are innumerable and continually undergo birth and death; it frames the Preta Kanda’s teachings as guidance for understanding death and seeking release from repeated rebirth.

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

By stating that beings repeatedly die and are born in many forms, it implies that post-death states are transitional within samsara unless liberation (moksha) is attained through right knowledge and dharma.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with dharma and restraint, remembering life’s impermanence; use the awareness of repeated birth and death to prioritize ethical conduct, spiritual practice, and support of proper rites for the departed.