Shloka 2

Devanagari script

सत्त्वाभिमानिनी श्रीस्तु भूर्देवी रजमानिनी / तमोभिमानिनी दुर्गा ह्येवमाहुर्मनीषिणः

Transliteration

sattvābhimāninī śrīstu bhūrdevī rajamāninī / tamobhimāninī durgā hyevamāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ

Translation

మునులు చెప్పునది—సత్త్వగుణాభిమానిని శ్రీ; రజోగుణాభిమానిని భూదేవి; తమోగుణాభిమానిని దుర్గా—ఇదే మునీంద్రుల వచనం।

Word by Word

• sattva-abhimāninī: (she who is) identified with sattva
• sattva-abhimāninī: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sattva (प्रातिपदिक) + abhimāninī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; तत्पुरुषः ‘identifying with sattva’

• śrīḥ: Śrī
• śrīḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), contrast/emphasis

• bhūḥ: Bhū
• bhūḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• devī: goddess
• devī: Karta (कर्ता; appositional)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; apposition to bhūḥ

• rajas-māninī: identified with rajas
• rajas-māninī: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rajas (प्रातिपदिक) + māninī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; तत्पुरुषः ‘identifying with rajas’

• tamas-abhimāninī: identified with tamas
• tamas-abhimāninī: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tamas (प्रातिपदिक) + abhimāninī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; तत्पुरुषः ‘identifying with tamas’

• durgā: Durgā
• durgā: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• hi: indeed
• hi: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), emphasis/causal nuance

• evam: thus
• evam: Prakāra (प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय)

• āhuḥ: said, declare
• āhuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ah (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ/लिट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• manīṣiṇaḥ: the sages, the wise
• manīṣiṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manīṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

Speaker

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

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Śrī–sattva, Bhū–rajas, Durgā–tamas: deities as presiding identifications (abhimāninī) of guṇic functions.

Vedantic Theme: Guṇa-adhyāsa and functional deities: names/forms as upādhis; ultimate unity behind differentiated operations.

Application: Use the triad as an introspective tool: recognize sattvic clarity as ‘Śrī’, rajasic drive as ‘Bhū’, tamasic inertia/obscuration as ‘Durgā’; cultivate sattva through diet, conduct, and devotion.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana cosmology passages on guṇas and deity-functions; later ethical sections that recommend sattva-increasing conduct

Characters & Entities

• Shri (Lakshmi)
• Bhudevi
• Durga
• Manishinah (sages)

FAQs

What is the importance of the three guṇas in the Garuda Purana?

This verse links each guṇa to a presiding goddess, showing that mental qualities (sattva, rajas, tamas) are not random but governed principles that shape conduct, worship, and spiritual progress.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By mapping guṇas to divine presences, it implies the soul’s experience and tendencies depend on the dominant guṇa—cultivating sattva (Śrī) supports clarity and upliftment, while tamas (Durgā) and rajas (Bhūdevī) bind through inertia or restless activity.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Strengthen sattva through truthfulness, clean diet, japa, charity, and disciplined living; reduce tamas by avoiding negligence and intoxication; moderate rajas by balancing ambition with devotion and ethical restraint.