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Shloka 55

The Extent of Questions: Deathbed Rites, Kāla (Time), and Karma-Vipāka Rebirths

Devanagari script

अस्पृश्यं कुत्सनीयं च तत्क्षणादेव जायते / उक्तं मृत्योः स्वरूपं तु प्रसङ्गादन्यदप्यथ

Transliteration

aspṛśyaṃ kutsanīyaṃ ca tatkṣaṇādeva jāyate / uktaṃ mṛtyoḥ svarūpaṃ tu prasaṅgādanyadapyatha

Translation

Desde esse exato momento, a pessoa torna-se “intocável” e objeto de censura. Assim foi descrita a natureza da Morte; e, nessa mesma conexão, algo mais ainda deve ser dito.

Word by Word
अस्पृश्यम्untouchable, impure
अस्पृश्यम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeAdjective
Rootअस्पृश्य (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √स्पृश् (धातु) + अ- उपसर्ग/निषेध)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; नञ्-पूर्वक विशेषण (untouchable)
कुत्सनीयम्censurable, blameworthy
कुत्सनीयम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeAdjective
Rootकुत्सनीय (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √कुत्स् (धातु) + अनीयर् प्रत्यय)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be censured)
चand
च:
Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच (अव्यय)
Formसमुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)
तत्क्षणात्from that very moment
तत्क्षणात्:
Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
Formतत्पुरुषसमास (तस्मिन् क्षणे); पञ्चमी विभक्ति-एकवचन रूपेण अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः (ablatival adverbial: 'from that very moment')
एवindeed, just
एव:
Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव (अव्यय)
Formअवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)
जायतेarises, is born
जायते:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√जन् (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (present: 'is born/arises')
उक्तम्said, stated
उक्तम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeAdjective
Root√वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle: 'said')
मृत्योःof death
मृत्योः:
Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootमृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (genitive)
स्वरूपम्nature, form
स्वरूपम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootस्वरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन
तुbut, indeed
तु:
Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु (अव्यय)
Formविरोध/विशेषार्थक अव्यय (but/indeed)
प्रसङ्गात्from the occasion, incidentally
प्रसङ्गात्:
Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
TypeNoun
Rootप्रसङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (ablative: 'from/through occasion')
अन्यत्something else
अन्यत्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeAdjective
Rootअन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (as pronoun/adjective: 'other')
अपिalso, even
अपि:
Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअपि (अव्यय)
Formसमुच्चय/सम्भावनार्थक अव्यय (also/even)
अथthen, now
अथ:
Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअथ (अव्यय)
Formअनन्तर/प्रारम्भार्थक अव्यय (then/now)
Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: At death’s onset one becomes socially/ritually ‘aspr̥śya’ and censured; death is a liminal force that alters one’s standing and triggers prescribed responses.

Vedantic Theme: Anityatā (impermanence) and dehābhimāna-bhaṅga (breaking identification with the body) as a prelude to understanding the jīva’s onward course.

Application: Treat death as a dharmic threshold: maintain composure, follow appropriate purity/last-rites protocols, and cultivate detachment and remembrance of the divine.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa 2.2 (context: description of death and ensuing journey)

Characters & Entities
M
Mrityu (Death)

FAQs

This verse links death with an immediate state of aspṛśyatā (ritual untouchability), indicating why post-death rules and purificatory rites are prescribed in the tradition.

It marks the instant transition at death: the living social-ritual status changes at once, and the text signals that further details about Death and the post-death condition will be explained next.

Treat death as a serious ritual threshold: follow appropriate mourning/purification observances with dignity, avoid negligence, and cultivate detachment by remembering life’s impermanence.

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