Shloka 117

Multi-form Manifestations, Indra–Kāma Incarnations, Pravāha, and the Twofold Buddhi

Sense-Discipline and Exclusive Refuge in Viṣṇu

Devanagari script

यदा पते यमदूतैश्च पाशैर्बध्वा सम्यक् ताड्यमानः कशाभिः / तदा लक्ष्मीः कुत्र पलायते ऽसावतो मूलं विष्णुपादं भजस्व

Transliteration

yadā pate yamadūtaiśca pāśairbadhvā samyak tāḍyamānaḥ kaśābhiḥ / tadā lakṣmīḥ kutra palāyate 'sāvato mūlaṃ viṣṇupādaṃ bhajasva

Translation

यदा पते यमदूतैः पाशैर्बद्ध्वा सम्यक् कशाभिस्ताड्यमानः। तदा लक्ष्मीः क्व पलायतेऽसौ? अतः मूलं विष्णुपादं भजस्व॥

Word by Word

• yadā: when
• yadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Temporal adverb (कालवाचक अव्यय)

• pate: O husband/lord
• pate: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• yamadūtaiḥ: by Yama’s messengers
• yamadūtaiḥ: Karta (कर्ता; agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama-dūta (प्रातिपदिक; यम + दूत)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• pāśaiḥ: with nooses
• pāśaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• badhvā: having bound
• badhvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bandh (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), ‘having bound’

• samyak: properly, thoroughly
• samyak: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samyak (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (रीतिवाचक अव्यय)

• tāḍyamānaḥ: being beaten
• tāḍyamānaḥ: Karma (कर्म; patient in passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tāḍ (धातु)
• Form: Present passive participle (वर्तमान कर्मणि कृदन्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• kaśābhiḥ: with whips
• kaśābhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaśā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb of time (कालवाचक अव्यय)

• lakṣmīḥ: Lakshmi
• lakṣmīḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• kutra: where
• kutra: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (देशाधिकरण; interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kutra (अव्यय)
• Form: Interrogative adverb (प्रश्नवाचक अव्यय)

• palāyate: flees
• palāyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: palāy (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

• asau: that (one), she
• asau: Karta (कर्ता; apposition to lakṣmīḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Masculine/Feminine (पुं/स्त्री), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• ataḥ: therefore
• ataḥ: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Causal particle (हेतुवाचक अव्यय)

• mūlam: root, basis
• mūlam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• viṣṇupādam: Vishnu’s feet
• viṣṇupādam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu-pāda (प्रातिपदिक; विष्णु + पाद)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhajasva: worship/seek refuge in
• bhajasva: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhaj (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Wealth and worldly fortune cannot protect at death; only surrender to Vishnu (Vishnu-pāda-bhajana) is reliable when karma ripens.

Vedantic Theme: Asat (transient) vs Sat (the abiding Lord); śaraṇāgati as the bridge beyond fear of death and karmic bondage.

Application: Contemplate death to reduce attachment; cultivate Vishnu-bhakti/namasmaraṇa daily so that remembrance is natural at crisis; align actions to dharma to avoid papa leading to Yama’s chastisement.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: threshold/road to judgment

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: Yamadūta arrest, pāśa (noose), daṇḍa/kaśā (whip) motifs recur across naraka descriptions

Characters & Entities

• Yamadutas
• Yama
• Lakshmi
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of detachment from wealth in this Garuda Purana verse?

The verse warns that worldly prosperity (Lakṣmī) cannot protect a person when Yamadūtas seize and punish the bound soul; it urges spiritual reliance rather than material security.

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

It depicts the post-death apprehension by Yamadūtas using pāśas (nooses) and punishment by whips, emphasizing that karmic accountability follows the soul beyond death.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live ethically to avoid harmful karma, and cultivate steady devotion—especially remembrance and refuge in Viṣṇu—rather than depending solely on wealth or status.