Shloka 79
Multi-form Manifestations, Indra–Kāma Incarnations, Pravāha, and the Twofold Buddhi
Sense-Discipline and Exclusive Refuge in Viṣṇu
भयं च लज्जा नैव चास्ते वधूनां तथा नृणां वनितानां यतीनाम् / स्वसारं ते ह्यविदित्वा दिनेपि सुवाम यज्ञेन स्वाभावश्च वीन्द्र
bhayaṃ ca lajjā naiva cāste vadhūnāṃ tathā nṛṇāṃ vanitānāṃ yatīnām / svasāraṃ te hyaviditvā dinepi suvāma yajñena svābhāvaśca vīndra
Ни у невест, ни у мужчин, ни у женщин, ни даже у аскетов не остаются страх и стыд. Воистину, не распознав того, что поистине своё (внутреннюю природу), даже при свете дня, они гонятся за яджней и её плодами; такова их врождённая склонность, о лучший из царей.
Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda, Vinata-putra)
Concept: Even with obvious clarity (‘in daylight’), people fail to know their own true nature (svabhāva/ātma-svarūpa) and remain driven by external roles and fruit-motivated pursuits.
Vedantic Theme: Avidyā about the self leading to pravṛtti toward karma-phala; critique of mere ritualism/fruit-seeking when divorced from self-knowledge and inner transformation.
Application: Regular self-inquiry and ethical reflection; examine motivations behind ‘sacrifices’ (projects, status, rituals); cultivate integrity so that outer role aligns with inner values.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.28.78 (compulsion despite knowing); Garuda Purana 3.28.80 (discipline in eating/appropriation)
FAQs
This verse highlights that people often act from ingrained tendencies—running after ritual and its rewards—without recognizing their deeper nature, which in the Garuda Purana framework becomes the seed of karma that follows the soul onward.
By stating that fear and shame can vanish in pursuit of actions and outcomes, the verse points to how unchecked impulses produce karma; in the Preta Kanda narrative, such karma later ripens as consequences encountered after death.
Use rituals and duties without obsession for social approval or rewards; cultivate self-awareness so that actions are guided by dharma rather than impulse, reducing harmful karmic momentum.