Shloka 82

The Extent of Questions: Deathbed Rites, Kāla (Time), and Karma-Vipāka Rebirths

Devanagari script

प्रवज्यागमनाद्राजन् भवेन्मरुपिशाचकः / चातको जलहर्ता स्याज्जन्मान्धः पुंस्तकं हरन्

Transliteration

pravajyāgamanādrājan bhavenmarupiśācakaḥ / cātako jalahartā syājjanmāndhaḥ puṃstakaṃ haran

Translation

హే రాజా! ప్రవ్రజ్య (సన్యాసం) స్వీకరించి మళ్లీ గృహానికి తిరిగివచ్చినవాడు మరుపిశాచకుడగును. నీటిని దొంగిలించువాడు చాతక పక్షిగా జన్మించును; పుస్తకాన్ని దొంగిలించువాడు జన్మాంధుడగును.

Word by Word

• pravajyāgamanāt: from renunciation-and-return
• pravajyāgamanāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pravajyā (प्रातिपदिक) + āgamana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समाहार-द्वन्द्व), पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; ‘प्रवज्या च आगमनं च’—from (false) renunciation and return

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• bhavet: would become
• bhavet: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• marupiśācakaḥ: a desert-goblin (piśācaka of the desert)
• marupiśācakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maru (प्रातिपदिक) + piśācaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘मरौ’ (desert) स्थितः पिशाचकः—सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषभाव

• cātakaḥ: cātaka bird
• cātakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cātaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• jalahartā: water-stealer
• jalahartā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक) + hartṛ (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्तृवाचक—‘जलस्य हर्ता’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• syāt: would become
• syāt: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• janmāndhaḥ: blind from birth
• janmāndhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: janman (प्रातिपदिक) + andha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘जन्मना अन्धः’ (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष)

• puṃstakam: a book/manuscript
• puṃstakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṃstaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• haran: stealing
• haran: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hṛ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), प्रथमा, एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; ‘हरन्’ = stealing/taking (कर्ता-विशेषण)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda; the address 'O King' reflects the narration style in this section)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Breach of saṃnyāsa commitment and theft (water, books) yield degraded yonis and bodily impairment; knowledge is sacred property.

Vedantic Theme: Adharma obscures buddhi (symbolized by blindness) and binds to lower embodiments; vidyā as light, its theft as tamas.

Application: Do not take vows lightly; if renunciation is undertaken, maintain integrity; respect intellectual property and preserve learning; avoid stealing shared resources like water.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: wilderness

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.2 (saṃnyāsa-bhraṣṭa and theft-to-yoni mappings)

Characters & Entities

• Piśāca
• Cātaka

FAQs

What is the importance of pravrajyā (renunciation) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse treats renunciation as a sacred vow: abandoning it and returning to worldly life is described as producing a painful, lower state of existence, emphasizing the gravity of spiritual commitments.

How does this verse explain karmic consequences after death?

It presents specific rebirths as karmic results: water-theft leads to birth as a cātaka bird, and stealing books leads to congenital blindness—illustrating the Garuda Purana’s cause-and-effect mapping of actions to future embodiment.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Respect vows and spiritual commitments, avoid depriving others of essentials like water, and treat knowledge (books/scriptures) as a trust—ethical restraint is presented as protection from severe karmic outcomes.