Shloka 36
Sat-saṅga, Dharma-Nīti, Karma-Phala, Śauca, and Vairāgya
Overcoming Grief
अन्नार्थो यानि दुः खानि करोति कृपणो जनः / तान्येव यदि धर्मार्थो न भूयः क्लेशभाजनम्
annārtho yāni duḥ khāni karoti kṛpaṇo janaḥ / tānyeva yadi dharmārtho na bhūyaḥ kleśabhājanam
ఆహారం, జీవనోపాధి కోసం కృపణుడు ఏ ఏ కష్టాలు పడతాడో—అదే ప్రయత్నం ధర్మార్థంగా చేస్తే, అది మళ్లీ క్లేశకారణం కాదు.
Lord Viṣṇu (in instruction to Garuḍa/Vinatā-putra)
Concept: Human effort is inevitable; if one can labor for mere survival, one can (and should) apply comparable effort toward dharma, which reduces future suffering.
Vedantic Theme: Transforming karma into purifying action (karma-yoga-like orientation): intention and alignment with dharma change the binding quality of effort.
Application: Redirect time/energy from anxious hoarding to generosity, service, and ethical living; make livelihood a support for dharma rather than an end in itself.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Related Themes: Garuda Purana counsel against miserliness and for dāna; effort toward dharma yields better outcomes than mere accumulation
FAQs
This verse teaches that the same energy spent merely to survive, when redirected toward dharma, stops becoming a source of repeated suffering and instead supports auspicious karmic outcomes.
By emphasizing intention and dharmic action, it implies that choices made in embodied life shape future experience—reducing karmic bondage that would otherwise lead to continued distress.
Do necessary work for livelihood, but align it with dharma—honesty, charity, self-discipline, and service—so daily struggle becomes spiritually constructive rather than merely exhausting.