Shloka 43

Mukti-tattva Upadeśa: Knowledge as the Direct Cause of Liberation

Devanagari script

तृष्णासूचीविनिर्भिन्नं सिक्तं विषयसर्पिषा / रागद्वेषानले पक्वं मृत्युरश्राति मानवम्

Transliteration

tṛṣṇāsūcīvinirbhinnaṃ siktaṃ viṣayasarpiṣā / rāgadveṣānale pakvaṃ mṛtyuraśrāti mānavam

Translation

तृष्णासूच्या विनिर्भिन्नं विषयसर्पिषा सिक्तम्; रागद्वेषानले पक्वं मानवम् मृत्युराश्राति।

Word by Word

• तृष्णासूचीविनिर्भिन्नम्: pierced by the needle of craving
• तृष्णासूचीविनिर्भिन्नम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृष्णा + सूची + विनिर्भिन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (तृष्णा-सूच्या विनिर्भिन्नम्)

• सिक्तम्: sprinkled/anointed
• सिक्तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सिच् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘सिक्त’ = sprinkled/anointed

• विषयसर्पिषा: with the ghee of sense-objects
• विषयसर्पिषा: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषय + सर्पिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (सर्पिस्), तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (विषयाणां सर्पिः)

• रागद्वेषानले: in the fire of attachment and aversion
• रागद्वेषानले: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राग + द्वेष + अनल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (राग-द्वेषयोः अनलः)

• पक्वम्: cooked/roasted
• पक्वम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पच् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘पक्व’ = cooked/ripe

• मृत्युः: Death
• मृत्युः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अश्राति: seizes/overpowers
• अश्राति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रै (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; ‘श्रै’ = to seize/overpower (आश्रयति/अश्राति इति पाठभेदप्रयोगः)

• मानवम्: a human being
• मानवम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Tṛṣṇā (craving) and rāga-dveṣa (attachment/aversion) ‘cook’ the jīva into vulnerability; sense-indulgence accelerates mortality’s grip.

Vedantic Theme: Kleśa theory in practice: rāga-dveṣa and tṛṣṇā bind the mind; viveka and vairāgya are prerequisites for freedom from fear of death.

Application: Observe craving as a piercing impulse; reduce sensory overindulgence; practice pratyāhāra, moderation, and mantra/meditation to cool rāga-dveṣa.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana moral-psychological descriptions of bondage leading to death and post-mortem suffering (general thematic link)

Characters & Entities

• Mṛtyu (Death)

FAQs

What is the importance of craving (tṛṣṇā) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse treats tṛṣṇā as the piercing force that makes a person vulnerable—craving drives repeated entanglement in sense-objects, which culminates in being overtaken by Death.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in relation to death?

By portraying rāga and dveṣa as a fire that “cooks” the person, the verse implies that unresolved passions shape one’s condition at death, influencing the post-death journey described in the Preta Kanda.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Reduce compulsive indulgence, watch attachment/aversion, and cultivate restraint and clarity—so that life is not “fueled” by sense-objects and dominated by fear at the time of death.