Shloka 54

Devanagari script

प्रभाते मलमूत्त्राभ्यां क्षुत्तृड्भ्यां मध्यगे रवौ / रात्रौ मदननिद्राभ्यां बाध्यन्ते मूढमानवाः

Transliteration

prabhāte malamūttrābhyāṃ kṣuttṛḍbhyāṃ madhyage ravau / rātrau madananidrābhyāṃ bādhyante mūḍhamānavāḥ

Translation

प्रभाते मलमूत्राभ्यां क्षुत्तृड्भ्यां मध्यगे रवौ। रात्रौ मदननिद्राभ्यां बाध्यन्ते मूढमानवाः॥

Word by Word

• प्रभाते: in the morning
• प्रभाते: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (locative/सप्तमी), एकवचन; कालाधिकरण

• मल-मूत्राभ्याम्: by feces and urine
• मल-मूत्राभ्याम्: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मल (प्रातिपदिक) + मूत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (instrumental/तृतीया), द्विवचन; द्वन्द्व

• क्षुत्-तृड्भ्याम्: by hunger and thirst
• क्षुत्-तृड्भ्याम्: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षुत् (प्रातिपदिक) + तृष्/तृड् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, द्विवचन; द्वन्द्व

• मध्यगे: when (the sun is) at mid-sky
• मध्यगे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मध्यग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण (रवौ)

• रवौ: when the sun (is)
• रवौ: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रवि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; काल/स्थित्यधिकरण

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; कालाधिकरण

• मदन-निद्राभ्याम्: by lust and sleep
• मदन-निद्राभ्याम्: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मदन (प्रातिपदिक) + निद्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, द्विवचन; द्वन्द्व

• बाध्यन्ते: are afflicted/pressed
• बाध्यन्ते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: बाध् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• मूढ-मानवाः: deluded humans
• मूढ-मानवाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूढ (प्रातिपदिक) + मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (मूढाः मानवाः)

Speaker

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

Medical Ayurveda

Dosha: Mixed

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The deluded are continually ‘afflicted’ by bodily functions and cravings across the day; recognizing this fuels vairāgya and the search for liberation.

Vedantic Theme: Dehābhimāna produces duḥkha; samsāra is experienced as repetitive compulsion; detachment arises from clear seeing (yathārtha-darśana).

Application: Reframe daily schedule as sadhana: cleanliness and moderation in the morning, mindful nourishment at midday, restraint and early sleep at night; add japa/meditation to break compulsive loops.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: temporal landscape (morning/noon/night)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: recurring critique of bodily identification and sense-driven routine as ‘mūḍhatā’ (thematic)

Characters & Entities

• Ravi (Sun)
• Madana (Kama)

FAQs

What is the importance of controlling bodily urges in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames ordinary life as continual affliction by bodily functions and cravings, implying that discipline and restraint are essential for dharma and spiritual clarity.

How does this verse relate to the soul’s journey described in the Garuda Purana?

By highlighting how the embodied state is dominated by hunger, thirst, lust, and sleep, it supports the text’s broader teaching that attachment to the body binds the jīva and obstructs higher understanding needed for the after-death path.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Adopt daily self-regulation—clean habits in the morning, mindful eating and hydration at midday, and restraint with sensory indulgence at night—to reduce distraction and live more ethically and consciously.