Shloka 78

Veṅkaṭācala Māhātmya: Bhakti-Lakṣaṇa, Nārasiṁha-tīrtha, and the Secret Darśana-Vidhi of Śrīnivāsa

Devanagari script

पाश्चात्यभागे श्रीनिवासस्य देवि नन्दं सुनन्दं संस्मरेदेव भक्त्या / सव्यद्वारे श्रीनिवासस्य कन्ये स्मरेत्कुमुदाक्षं कुमुदन्तमेव

Transliteration

pāścātyabhāge śrīnivāsasya devi nandaṃ sunandaṃ saṃsmaredeva bhaktyā / savyadvāre śrīnivāsasya kanye smaretkumudākṣaṃ kumudantameva

Translation

ਹੇ ਦੇਵੀ, ਸ਼੍ਰੀਨਿਵਾਸ ਦੇ ਪੱਛਮੀ ਭਾਗ ਵਿੱਚ ਭਗਤੀ ਨਾਲ ਨੰਦ ਅਤੇ ਸੁਨੰਦ ਦਾ ਸਿਮਰਨ ਕਰੇ। ਅਤੇ ਹੇ ਕਨਿਆ, ਸ਼੍ਰੀਨਿਵਾਸ ਦੇ ਖੱਬੇ ਦਰਵਾਜ਼ੇ ਉੱਤੇ ਕੇਵਲ ਕੁਮੁਦਾਕਸ਼ ਅਤੇ ਕੁਮੁਦੰਤ ਦਾ ਸਿਮਰਨ ਕਰੇ।

Word by Word

• pāścātya-bhāge: in the western part
• pāścātya-bhāge: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāścātya (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: 'pāścātyaḥ bhāgaḥ'

• śrīnivāsasya: of Śrīnivāsa
• śrīnivāsasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrīnivāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• devi: O देवी
• devi: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• nandam: Nanda (name)
• nandam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• sunandam: Sunanda (name)
• sunandam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sunanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• saṃsmaret: should remember
• saṃsmaret: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु) + sam (उपसर्ग)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic)

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• savya-dvāre: at the left gate
• savya-dvāre: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: savya (प्रातिपदिक) + dvāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: 'savyaṃ dvāram'

• śrīnivāsasya: of Śrīnivāsa
• śrīnivāsasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrīnivāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kanye: O maiden
• kanye: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• smaret: should remember
• smaret: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kumudākṣam: Kumudākṣa (lotus-eyed; name)
• kumudākṣam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumuda (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि: 'kumudavat akṣī yasya saḥ' (one whose eyes are like lotuses)

• kumudantam: Kumudanta (name)
• kumudantam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumuda (प्रातिपदिक) + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (name/epithet)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (Śrīnivāsa) instructing Garuḍa (Vinātā-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Bhakti expressed as smaraṇa of the Lord’s parikara (Nanda, Sunanda, Kumudākṣa, Kumudanta) aligned with sacred spatial order.

Vedantic Theme: Ekāgratā (one-pointedness) cultivated through structured devotional practice; the sacred is approached through disciplined attention.

Application: While moving within a temple, keep a steady devotional recollection rather than treating the visit as mere sightseeing.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: western quarter and left-hand doorway (savyadvāra)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.24.77-81 (sequence of gate/door remembrances and entry rites)

Characters & Entities

• Śrīnivāsa (Vishnu)
• Nanda
• Sunanda
• Kumudākṣa
• Kumudanta

FAQs

What is the importance of remembering Nanda and Sunanda in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents directional remembrance (smaraṇa) of Viṣṇu’s attendants as a devotional practice, reinforcing focused bhakti and invoking protective, auspicious presence around Śrīnivāsa.

How does this verse connect to the Garuda Purana’s teachings on the soul’s journey?

Even within the Preta-kāṇḍa context, the text repeatedly anchors after-death concerns in Viṣṇu-bhakti; remembrance of Śrīnivāsa and His attendants is taught as spiritually stabilizing and merit-bearing (puṇya) for the living and the departed.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

In Viṣṇu worship (especially temple visits), one may mentally honor the Lord’s attendants at the indicated directions/gateways, cultivating steady devotion, reverence, and disciplined remembrance rather than distracted ritual.