Shloka 2

Aśokāṣṭamī and Mahānavamī: Durgā Navamī-vrata, mantra-nyāsa, forms, weapons, and offerings

Devanagari script

त्वामशोक ! हराभीष्ट ! मधुमाससमुद्भव / पिबामि शोकसन्तप्तो मामशोकं सदा कुरु

Transliteration

tvāmaśoka ! harābhīṣṭa ! madhumāsasamudbhava / pibāmi śokasantapto māmaśokaṃ sadā kuru

Translation

హే అశోకా! హరుడు (శివుడు) ఇష్టపడినవాడా! మధు మాసంలో పుట్టినవాడా! శోకంతో తప్తుడనై నేను నిన్ను పానము చేస్తున్నాను; నన్ను ఎల్లప్పుడూ అశోకుడిగా—శోకరహితుడిగా చేయుము।

Word by Word

• tvām: you
• tvām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; पुरुषवाचक सर्वनाम

• aśoka: O Aśoka
• aśoka: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśoka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• hara-abhīṣṭa: O beloved of Hara (Śiva)
• hara-abhīṣṭa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hara (प्रातिपदिक) + abhīṣṭa (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; 'हरस्य अभीष्टः' (dear to Hara)

• madhumāsa-samudbhava: O sprung from the spring-month (Madhu)
• madhumāsa-samudbhava: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: madhumāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; 'मधुमासात् समुद्भवः'

• pibāmi: I drink
• pibāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• śoka-santaptaḥ: afflicted by sorrow
• śoka-santaptaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier of speaker/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śoka (प्रातिपदिक) + santapta (कृदन्त, √tap)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; 'शोकेन संतप्तः'

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; पुरुषवाचक सर्वनाम

• aśokam: free from sorrow
• aśokam: Karma (Result-object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aśoka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (predicate object)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• kuru: make (do)
• kuru: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Unspecified (devotional/ritual utterance addressed to Aśoka; not clearly part of the Vishnu–Garuda dialogue in this standalone verse)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Nāma-rūpa upāsanā: addressing the aśoka as a divine aid; grief is met with prayerful surrender and a concrete upāya.

Vedantic Theme: Īśvara-anugraha as a means to duḥkha-śamana; transforming inner states through devotion and saṅkalpa.

Application: Recite this mantra-like address while taking aśoka (as per vrata), cultivating intention: ‘may sorrow be removed’; pair with restraint, charity, and remembrance of Śiva/Vishnu as one’s iṣṭa.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana vrata passages where a plant/act is paired with a direct stuti/prārthanā to activate saṅkalpa; Garuda Purana: śānti-prayoga style verses—addressing a dravya as a devatā-aṅga

Characters & Entities

• Hara (Shiva)
• Aśoka (plant/deity epithet)

FAQs

What is the importance of Aśoka in the Garuda Purana context?

This verse treats Aśoka as a sorrow-dispelling power—invoked as a sacred aid for those afflicted by grief, aligning with Garuda Purana’s broader concern with rites and consolations around suffering and loss.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Indirectly: it focuses on the living person’s grief and the wish to become ‘aśoka’ (free from sorrow), a key mental and ethical preparation that supports steadiness during death-related rites and reflections central to the Purana.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use it as a contemplative prayer/mantra for grief-management—remembering that spiritual practice aims to transform inner suffering into clarity, restraint, and compassionate conduct.