Shloka 5

Mṛtyvaṣṭaka of Mārkaṇḍeya: Refuge in Viṣṇu and the Withdrawal of Death

Devanagari script

सहस्रशिरसं देवं व्यक्ताव्यक्तं सनातनम् / महायोगं प्रपन्नो ऽस्मि किन्नो मृत्युः करिष्यति

Transliteration

sahasraśirasaṃ devaṃ vyaktāvyaktaṃ sanātanam / mahāyogaṃ prapanno 'smi kinno mṛtyuḥ kariṣyati

Translation

ข้าพเจ้าขอถึงพระผู้มีเศียรพัน ผู้เป็นนิรันดร์ ทั้งปรากฏและไม่ปรากฏ ผู้เป็นมหาโยคะเอง—แล้วความตายจะทำอันใดแก่ข้าพเจ้าได้?

Word by Word

• सहस्रशिरसम्: thousand-headed
• सहस्रशिरसम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र + शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); बहुव्रीहिः (सहस्रं शिरांसि यस्य)

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• व्यक्ताव्यक्तम्: manifest and unmanifest
• व्यक्ताव्यक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यक्त + अव्यक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (व्यक्तः च अव्यक्तः च)

• सनातनम्: eternal
• सनातनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• महायोगम्: great yogic power / great yoga
• महायोगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारयः (महान् योगः)

• प्रपन्नः: surrendered
• प्रपन्नः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + पद् (धातु) → प्रपन्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अस्मि: I am
• अस्मि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); प्रश्नार्थक

• नः: of us / to us
• नः: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural); एन्क्लिटिक

• मृत्युः: death
• मृत्युः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• करिष्यति: will do
• करिष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Garuda (Vinata-putra), expressing surrender to the Supreme as protection from death

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Lord is sahasraśīrṣa, eternal, both manifest and unmanifest; taking refuge in him as Mahāyoga points to liberation beyond death.

Vedantic Theme: Akṣara-brahman/parama-puruṣa as both vyakta-avyakta; yoga as union with the supreme reality—death pertains to nāma-rūpa, not to the eternal ground.

Application: Contemplate viśvarūpa (all-pervading presence) to reduce fear and attachment; integrate devotion with meditative yoga—steady breath, mantra, and surrender to the eternal.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: teachings on Viṣṇu as supreme reality and yoga/mokṣa (general thematic parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Death (Mṛtyu)

FAQs

What is the importance of surrender (prapatti) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents prapatti—taking refuge in the eternal, all-pervading Divine—as a direct antidote to fear of death, implying that spiritual surrender transcends mortal threat.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in the context of death?

By affirming refuge in the manifest–unmanifest Lord, it frames the soul’s safety not as mere ritual protection but as alignment with the Supreme Reality that is beyond Yama’s jurisdiction.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate daily remembrance and surrender through prayer, ethical living, and steadiness in dharma—reducing fear and strengthening inner clarity when facing loss, illness, or mortality.