Shloka 1

Varṇāśrama Dharma, Ethical Virtues, and Aṣṭāṅga-Yoga Culminating in ‘Ahaṃ Brahma’

Devanagari script

नामाष्टचत्वारिंशो ऽध्यायः इति प्रतिष्ठाप्रकरणं समाप्तम् / ब्रह्मोवाच / सर्गादिकृद्धरिश्चैव पूज्यः स्वायम्भुवादिभिः / विप्राद्यैः स्वेन धर्मेण तद्धर्मं व्यास ! वै शृणु

Transliteration

nāmāṣṭacatvāriṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ iti pratiṣṭhāprakaraṇaṃ samāptam / brahmovāca / sargādikṛddhariścaiva pūjyaḥ svāyambhuvādibhiḥ / viprādyaiḥ svena dharmeṇa taddharmaṃ vyāsa ! vai śṛṇu

Translation

ดังนี้จบ “นามาษฏจัตวาริงศะ” อันเป็นบทว่าด้วยพิธีประดิษฐาน (ปรติษฺฐา) แล้ว พระพรหมตรัสว่า “พระหริ ผู้ทรงเป็นผู้ก่อกำเนิดสรรค์สร้างและกิจทั้งปวง สมควรแก่การบูชาโดยสวายัมภูวะและเหล่าอื่น ๆ ตลอดจนพราหมณ์และหมู่ชนทั้งหลาย ตามธรรมของตน ๆ โอ้ วยาสะ จงฟังธรรมนั้นเถิด”

Word by Word

• nāma: (called) “name” / title
• nāma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन); iti-śabdārtha-nirdeśa (नाम-निर्देश)

• aṣṭacatvāriṃśaḥ: forty-eighth
• aṣṭacatvāriṃśaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭa + catvāriṃśat (प्रातिपदिक; संख्याशब्द)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन); saṅkhyā-viśeṣaṇa (numeral adjective)

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• iti: thus; as (so called)
• iti: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; iti-śabdaḥ (quotative particle/इति-निर्देशक)

• pratiṣṭhāprakaraṇam: the section on consecration/establishment
• pratiṣṭhāprakaraṇam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratiṣṭhā + prakaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन); ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (प्रतिṣṭhāyāḥ prakaraṇam)

• samāptam: completed
• samāptam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-āp (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Kṛdanta (past passive participle/क्त), Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन); bhāva-vācaka (completed)

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ (लिट्, perfect), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष), Ekavacana (एकवचन); parasmaipada

• sargādikṛt: creator of creation etc.
• sargādikṛt: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarga + ādi + kṛt (प्रातिपदिक; कृत्)
• Form: Kṛdanta (कर्तृवाचक/कृत्), Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन); upapada-tatpuruṣa (sargādīn karoti iti)

• hariḥ: Hari (Viṣṇu)
• hariḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; samuccaya (conjunction/समुच्चय)

• eva: indeed; certainly
• eva: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; avadhāraṇa (emphasis/अवधारण)

• pūjyaḥ: worthy to be worshipped
• pūjyaḥ: Viśeṣya (Qualified/विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūj (धातु) + ya (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Kṛdanta (gerundive/तव्यत्-भाव), Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन); karmaṇi (to be worshipped)

• svāyambhuvādibhiḥ: by Svāyambhuva and others
• svāyambhuvādibhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svāyambhuva + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Tṛtīyā (3/तृतीया), Bahuvacana (बहुवचन); ādi-śabda-samāsa (svāyambhuvādayaḥ)

• viprādyaiḥ: by brāhmaṇas and others
• viprādyaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Tṛtīyā (3/तृतीया), Bahuvacana (बहुवचन); ādi-śabda-samāsa (viprādayaḥ)

• svena: by one’s own
• svena: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga/napuṃsaka (सामान्य), Tṛtīyā (3/तृतीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन); sarvanāma; viśeṣaṇa

• dharmeṇa: by (their) duty/law
• dharmeṇa: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Tṛtīyā (3/तृतीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (2/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन); sarvanāma; viśeṣaṇa

• dharmam: duty; law
• dharmam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (2/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• vyāsa: O Vyāsa
• vyāsa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Sambodhana (सम्बोधन), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; niścaya/avadhāraṇa (indeed/emphatic particle)

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: Loṭ (लोट्, imperative), Madhyama-puruṣa (मध्यमपुरुष), Ekavacana (एकवचन); parasmaipada

Speaker

Brahmā

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Hari is worship-worthy for all beings, and each class/being worships and acts according to its own dharma (svadharma).

Vedantic Theme: Īśvara as jagat-kāraṇa; svadharma as a means to loka-saṅgraha and gradual purification (citta-śuddhi).

Application: Honor one’s role-based duties without envy; orient worship and daily conduct toward Viṣṇu/Hari as the sustaining principle.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana (Purvakhanda) varna-ashrama and dharma expositions following this chapter; Garuda Purana sections praising Viṣṇu-nāma and Viṣṇu-pūjā as universal support for dharma

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Svāyambhuva (Manu)
• Vyāsa
• Vipras (Brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the importance of svadharma (one’s own duty) in this Garuda Purana verse?

The verse emphasizes that worship of Hari is performed by different beings—Manu and others, brāhmaṇas and others—each according to their own prescribed dharma, indicating that right practice is contextual and duty-based.

How does this verse fit the Garuda Purana’s narrative flow?

It marks the closure of the Pratiṣṭhā (consecration) section and introduces a new instruction where Brahmā addresses Vyāsa, transitioning from ritual installation topics to broader dharma teaching centered on devotion to Hari.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Maintain devotion and ethical discipline in a way consistent with your role and responsibilities (svadharma), rather than imitating practices unsuited to your station or capacity.