Shloka 16

Manasa Progenitors, Pitṛ Orders, Dakṣa’s Alliances, and the Dakṣa-Yajña Rupture

Devanagari script

षष्टिर्यानि सहस्राणि ऋषीणामूर्धरेतसाम् / अङ्गुष्ठपर्वमात्राणां ज्वलद्भास्करवर्चसाम्

Transliteration

ṣaṣṭiryāni sahasrāṇi ṛṣīṇāmūrdharetasām / aṅguṣṭhaparvamātrāṇāṃ jvaladbhāskaravarcasām

Translation

ఊర్ధ్వరేతస్సు ఋషులు అరవై వేల మంది; వారు బొటనవేలు సంధి పరిమాణమంత, జ్వలించే సూర్య తేజస్సుతో ప్రకాశిస్తారు॥

Word by Word

• षष्टिः: sixty
• षष्टिः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Quantifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; संख्या (cardinal)

• यानि: which (those)
• यानि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), बहुवचन; relative pronoun

• सहस्राणि: thousands
• सहस्राणि: Viśeṣya (विशेष्य/Head quantified noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), बहुवचन; numeral noun

• ऋषीणाम्: of sages
• ऋषीणाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन; genitive

• ऊर्धरेतसाम्: of those whose semen is upward (continent ascetics)
• ऊर्धरेतसाम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Genitive qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ūrdhva + retas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (कर्मधारय-प्रायः: ऊर्ध्वं रेतः येषाम्); qualifying ṛṣīṇām

• अङ्गुष्ठपर्वमात्राणाम्: of thumb-joint size
• अङ्गुष्ठपर्वमात्राणाम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Genitive qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṅguṣṭha + parvan + mātrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (मात्रा-निर्देशः: अङ्गुष्ठस्य पर्वमात्रा इव); qualifying ṛṣīṇām

• ज्वलद्भास्करवर्चसाम्: of blazing sun-like radiance
• ज्वलद्भास्करवर्चसाम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Genitive qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jvalat (कृदन्त, √ज्वल्) + bhāskara + varcas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (ज्वलद्भास्करस्य वर्चः इव); jvalat = वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle) used adjectivally

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ojas/tejas born of ūrdhvaretaḥ (conserved vital essence) manifests as spiritual radiance and potency.

Vedantic Theme: Inner restraint (saṃyama) transforms prāṇa into tejas; the subtle surpasses the gross in power.

Application: Cultivate moderation and disciplined senses (brahmacarya/saṃyama) to conserve energy for study, meditation, and service.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.5.15–1.5.19 (Bālakhilya origin and related genealogical context)

Characters & Entities

• Rishis
• Urdhva-retas ascetics

FAQs

What is the importance of ūrdhva-retas (upward-retained vital essence) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights ūrdhva-retas as a mark of intense ascetic mastery, associated with extraordinary radiance and subtle, non-ordinary modes of existence.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By depicting highly realized sages as luminous and subtle in form, it suggests that spiritual discipline refines consciousness beyond gross physical identity, aligning with the Purana’s broader teaching on post-mortem states and higher realms.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate restraint, purity, and disciplined practice (brahmacarya, tapas, japa/meditation), recognizing that inner refinement is portrayed as producing clarity and spiritual “radiance.”