Shloka 4

Śravaṇa-Mahātmya: The Śravaṇas, Cosmic Testimony, and the Paths of the Puruṣārthas

Devanagari script

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच / शृणुष्व वचनं सत्यं सर्वेषां सौख्यदायकम् / तदहं कथयिष्यामि श्रवणानां विचेष्टितम्

Transliteration

śrīkṛṣṇa uvāca / śṛṇuṣva vacanaṃ satyaṃ sarveṣāṃ saukhyadāyakam / tadahaṃ kathayiṣyāmi śravaṇānāṃ viceṣṭitam

Translation

శ్రీకృష్ణుడు పలికెను—వినుము, ఇది సత్యవచనం; ఇది అందరికీ క్షేమసుఖదాయకం. ఇప్పుడు నేను పవిత్ర శ్రవణ విధి మరియు నియమాన్ని వివరించెదను.

Word by Word

• श्रीकृष्ण: Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• श्रीकृष्ण: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (श्रीमान् कृष्णः)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• शृणुष्व: listen
• शृणुष्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), आत्मनेपद, मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• वचनम्: statement; words
• वचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• सत्यम्: true
• सत्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying वचनम्)

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक (सामान्य), षष्ठी (6th/genitive), बहुवचन

• सौख्यदायकम्: giving happiness
• सौख्यदायकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सौख्य-दायक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (सौख्यं ददाति इति) विशेषणम् (वचनम्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुषवाचक-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन

• कथयिष्यामि: I will tell
• कथयिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• श्रवणानाम्: of the listeners / of hearing (organs)
• श्रवणानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रवण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), बहुवचन

• विचेष्टितम्: the activity/behavior
• विचेष्टितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि-चेष्टित (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-आधारित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन; भाववाचक/कर्मवाचक-प्रयोगः (the behavior/activity)

Speaker

Śrī Kṛṣṇa (as the teacher/narrator in this passage)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Śravaṇa (sacred listening) as a regulated discipline that yields welfare (saukhyadāyaka) for all.

Vedantic Theme: Śabda-pramāṇa and śravaṇa as the first limb toward realization; purification of antaḥkaraṇa through hearing truth.

Application: Establish a daily/weekly practice of listening to śāstra or nāma-kathā with attention, ethical preparation, and consistency.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: recurring emphasis on hearing (śravaṇa) and recitation as meritorious acts in dharma/śrāddha contexts

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Kṛṣṇa

FAQs

What is the importance of śravaṇa (sacred listening) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames śravaṇa as a truth-bearing discipline that benefits everyone, introducing it as a foundational practice for receiving dharmic and afterlife-related teachings correctly.

How does this verse connect to Garuda Purana themes like death rituals and the soul’s journey?

By emphasizing disciplined listening, the text prepares the listener to accurately understand subsequent instructions—often including rites, ethical duties, and post-death realities—without distortion or neglect.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Approach spiritual teachings with attentive, sincere listening—prioritizing truthful instruction—so that practice becomes steady, beneficial, and ethically aligned.