Shloka 43

Jñāna-hetu-nirūpaṇa

On the Causes/Means of Knowledge

Devanagari script

पूर्णज्ञानं ममास्त्येव नात्र कार्या विचारणा / शतजन्मसु पूर्वं तु परोक्षेण मम प्रभो

Transliteration

pūrṇajñānaṃ mamāstyeva nātra kāryā vicāraṇā / śatajanmasu pūrvaṃ tu parokṣeṇa mama prabho

Translation

ข้าพเจ้ามีญาณอันสมบูรณ์แน่นอน ไม่จำเป็นต้องไตร่ตรองในเรื่องนี้เลย แต่ข้าแต่พระผู้เป็นนาย เมื่อร้อยชาติปางก่อน ข้าพเจ้ารู้สิ่งนั้นได้เพียงโดยทางอ้อมเท่านั้น.

Word by Word

• pūrṇa-jñānam: complete knowledge
• pūrṇa-jñānam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + jñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya: 'knowledge that is complete'

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī (6th), Ekavacana; genitive pronoun

• asti: exists/is
• asti: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस् धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (present), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avadhāraṇa-nipāta

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Pratiṣedha

• atra: here/in this matter
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: Deśavyaya (locative adverb)

• kāryā: necessary/to be done
• kāryā: Pradhāna (प्रधान/Predicate complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (fem), Prathamā, Ekavacana; predicate adjective agreeing with 'vicāraṇā' (understood): 'to be done/necessary'

• vicāraṇā: deliberation/inquiry
• vicāraṇā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vicāraṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; subject (elliptic with 'asti' understood): 'deliberation'

• śata-janmasu: in a hundred births
• śata-janmasu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक) + janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Saptamī, Bahuvacana; locative

• pūrvam: formerly/before
• pūrvam: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa-avyaya (temporal adverb)

• tu: but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta

• parokṣeṇa: indirectly
• parokṣeṇa: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parokṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka (abstract), Tṛtīyā, Ekavacana; instrumental adverbial: 'indirectly'

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana

• prabho: O Lord
• prabho: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana, Ekavacana

Speaker

Garuda (Vinata-putra), addressing Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Jñāna may be claimed as complete in the present, yet its ripening can span many births; indirect knowledge (parokṣa) precedes direct realization.

Vedantic Theme: Parokṣa-jñāna to aparokṣa-jñāna; saṃskāra and pūrvajanma-vāsanā supporting realization.

Application: Distinguish book/hearsay understanding from direct insight; persist in śravaṇa–manana–nididhyāsana without discouragement about slow progress.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.12.44-47 (continuation on eternal knowledge and Bhāratī/Sarasvatī)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of parokṣa (indirect) knowledge in the Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights that indirect knowledge (parokṣa) may be acquired across many lives, but the text values certainty and completeness—implying the movement from hearsay/inference toward firm understanding.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in the Garuda Purana narrative?

It frames the teaching as authoritative instruction: Garuda emphasizes his present clarity while acknowledging long karmic preparation, setting the stage for Vishnu’s systematic exposition on post-death realities.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Do not rely only on secondhand beliefs—study, reflect, and live dharmically so understanding becomes steady and actionable, especially regarding death-awareness, ethics, and rites.