Shloka 40
The Extent of Questions: Deathbed Rites, Kāla (Time), and Karma-Vipāka Rebirths
कालेन संह्रियन्ते च नृनं मृत्यावुपस्थिते / दैवयोगात्त्दा व्याधिः कश्चिदुत्पद्यते खग
kālena saṃhriyante ca nṛnaṃ mṛtyāvupasthite / daivayogāttdā vyādhiḥ kaścidutpadyate khaga
काले समुपस्थिते मृत्यौ नृणां संह्रियन्ते प्राणाः। दैवयोगात् तदा कश्चिद् व्याधिरुत्पद्यते, हे खग, कालेनैव नीयन्ते॥
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: Kāla and daiva (destiny/prārabdha) precipitate the final illness that ushers death.
Vedantic Theme: Prārabdha-karma unfolding under kāla; bodily life is anitya (impermanent) and governed by causal law.
Application: Cultivate preparedness for death (smaraṇa, detachment), and prioritize dharma and devotion before the ‘final illness’ arrives.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: descriptions of the signs of impending death and the onset of the last illness (ariṣṭa-lakṣaṇa); Garuda Purana: kāla as the agent that draws out prāṇa at life’s end
FAQs
The verse presents Kāla as the decisive force that ‘withdraws’ life when the destined time arrives, showing death as part of a cosmic order rather than a random event.
It says that when death is near, a particular illness arises due to daiva-yoga (destiny’s operation), functioning as a proximate cause through which the destined end manifests.
Recognize mortality and live with dharma and preparedness—use periods of illness to cultivate clarity, settle duties, and strengthen spiritual practice rather than only fear the body’s decline.