Shloka 5

Mahāyoga: Detachment from ‘I/Mine’, Aṣṭāṅga Practice, Oṁkāra and Aham-Brahmāsmi Contemplation

Devanagari script

छिन्नो विद्याकुठारेण ते गता लयमीश्वरे / प्राप्य ब्रह्मरसं पीतं नीरजस्कमकण्टकम्

Transliteration

chinno vidyākuṭhāreṇa te gatā layamīśvare / prāpya brahmarasaṃ pītaṃ nīrajaskamakaṇṭakam

Translation

ผู้ที่พันธนาการถูกฟันด้วยขวานแห่งวิชชา ย่อมหลอมรวมในพระอีศวร ครั้นได้บรรลุและดื่มรสอมฤตแห่งพรหมันแล้ว ย่อมพ้นจากธุลีแห่งรชัส และไร้หนามแห่งความทุกข์

Word by Word

• chinnaḥ: cut down
• chinnaḥ: Kriyā (Predicate state)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: chid (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Kta-participle; Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; predicate adjective (of ajñāna-taruḥ)

• vidyā-kuṭhāreṇa: with the axe of knowledge
• vidyā-kuṭhāreṇa: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidyā (प्रातिपदिक) + kuṭhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā (3rd), Ekavacana; instrumental; means

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Prathamā (1st), Bahuvacana; pronoun; refers to (pāpādayaḥ/kleśāḥ) or (bandhāḥ) contextually

• gatāḥ: have gone
• gatāḥ: Kriyā (Predicate state)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gam (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Kta-participle; Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Bahuvacana; predicate with te

• layam: dissolution/absorption
• layam: Karma (Goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: laya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; goal-accusative

• īśvare: in the Lord
• īśvare: Adhikaraṇa (Locus)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Saptamī (7th), Ekavacana; locative 'in the Lord'

• prāpya: having attained
• prāpya: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Gerundial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra + āp (धातु) + lyap (क्त्वा/ल्यप्)
• Form: Absolutive (ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त), avyaya; prior action

• brahma-rasam: the essence/nectar of Brahman
• brahma-rasam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + rasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; object of (pītam)

• pītam: drunk/imbibed
• pītam: Kriyā (Predicate state)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pā (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Kta-participle; Napuṃsakalिङ्ग, Prathamā/ Dvitīyā (contextual), Ekavacana; agrees with brahma-rasam as 'drunk' (predicate/qualifier)

• nīrajas-kam: free from impurity/passion
• nīrajas-kam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nīrajas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakalिङ्ग, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; qualifying brahma-rasam/pītam; 'free from dust/passion'

• akaṇṭakam: thornless; without obstacles
• akaṇṭakam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + kaṇṭaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakalिङ्ग, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; qualifying brahma-rasam/pītam; privative

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Bondage is severed by the axe of true knowledge; the liberated dissolve into the Supreme; tasting Brahman’s essence yields freedom from rajas-dust and all afflictive ‘thorns’.

Vedantic Theme: Jñāna as the direct means to mokṣa; dissolution of individuality in Īśvara/Brahman; guṇa-transcendence (rajas-kṣaya) and duḥkha-nivṛtti.

Application: Cultivate discriminative knowledge through study and contemplation; reduce rajas via simplicity and meditation; orient devotion and inquiry toward the Supreme rather than mere worldly refinement.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana mokṣa-oriented passages praising jñāna and Viṣṇu/Īśvara as the final refuge (general internal parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Ishvara
• Brahman

FAQs

What is the importance of ‘vidyā’ (true knowledge) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that vidyā acts like an axe that severs bondage, leading the soul to dissolve into Īśvara and attain the Brahman-essence, beyond suffering.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

It presents a jñāna-mārga outcome: instead of continuing in karmic cycles, the liberated one merges in the Lord after realizing Brahman, becoming free from rajas and all afflictions.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate discriminative wisdom (study, reflection, meditation) and reduce rajas (restlessness, passion) so life becomes less thorny—more steady, ethical, and liberation-oriented.