Shloka 70

An exposition on the fruits of charity and on entry into a body

Garbhotpatti, Piṇḍa-śarīra, and Antya-kāla-kriyā

Devanagari script

भ्रष्टज्ञानं बालभावे ततो जन्तुः प्रपद्यते / ततः कौमारकावस्थां यौवनं वृद्धतामपि

Transliteration

bhraṣṭajñānaṃ bālabhāve tato jantuḥ prapadyate / tataḥ kaumārakāvasthāṃ yauvanaṃ vṛddhatāmapi

Translation

జ్ఞానం క్షీణించినప్పుడు జీవుడు మొదట బాల్యస్థితిని పొందుతాడు. తరువాత క్రమంగా కౌమారము, యౌవనము, వృద్ధాప్యమునకు చేరుతాడు॥

Word by Word

• भ्रष्ट-ज्ञानम्: lost knowledge / knowledge that has fallen away
• भ्रष्ट-ज्ञानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भ्रष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; समासः (कर्मधारय); विशेषणार्थे (as predicate/attribute)

• बाल-भावे: in the state of childhood
• बाल-भावे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक) + भाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमवाचक अव्यय (thereafter)

• जन्तुः: the creature, embodied being
• जन्तुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• प्रपद्यते: enters, reaches, attains
• प्रपद्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-पद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमवाचक अव्यय (thereafter)

• कौमारक-अवस्थाम्: the stage of boyhood
• कौमारक-अवस्थाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौमारक (प्रातिपदिक) + अवस्था (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष)

• यौवनम्: youth
• यौवनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यौवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• वृद्धताम्: old age
• वृद्धताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृद्धता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक अव्यय (also/even)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: With discernment obscured, the jīva moves through changing states; bodily development and decline highlight impermanence and the urgency of reclaiming knowledge.

Vedantic Theme: Anityatā of deha and avasthā-traya-like shifting conditions; disidentification from changing upādhis.

Application: Use each life stage to cultivate appropriate sādhana—study in youth, steadiness in adulthood, detachment and remembrance in old age; keep a daily reflection on impermanence.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: temporal life-cycle

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.32.71-72 (death-birth cycle; svarga/naraka as karma-phala)

Characters & Entities

• Jantu (embodied being)
• Jñāna (knowledge)

FAQs

What is the importance of ‘obscured knowledge’ (bhraṣṭajñāna) in the Garuda Purana?

It highlights that the jīva enters embodied life under ignorance/forgetfulness, which explains why spiritual discernment must be cultivated deliberately through dharma and right knowledge.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

It frames the soul’s worldly journey as a sequence of bodily stages—infancy to old age—showing the inevitability of change and decline that culminates in death, a key theme in the Preta-kāṇḍa narrative.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Remember life’s stages are temporary; use youth and strength for dharma, self-discipline, and preparation for death-related duties (śrāddha, pinda offerings, ethical living) rather than postponing spiritual practice.