Shloka 35

Gradations of Bliss and Knowledge; Lakṣmī’s Special Insight; The Rarity of Bhakti in Kali-yuga; Nīlā’s Vow and Śrīnivāsa Darśana

Devanagari script

भर्तास्ते हरिभक्ता यदि स्युरासां स्त्रीणां जन्मसाफल्यमेव / अनेकजन्मार्जितपुण्यसंचयैस्तद्भर्तारो हरिभक्ता भवेयुः

Transliteration

bhartāste haribhaktā yadi syurāsāṃ strīṇāṃ janmasāphalyameva / anekajanmārjitapuṇyasaṃcayaistadbhartāro haribhaktā bhaveyuḥ

Translation

หากสามีของสตรีเหล่านั้นเป็นผู้ภักดีต่อพระหริแล้ว ชีวิตของสตรีเหล่านั้นย่อมสำเร็จสมบูรณ์แท้จริง และด้วยกองบุญที่สั่งสมมาหลายชาติ สามีเช่นนั้นจึงได้เป็นผู้ภักดีต่อพระหริ.

Word by Word

• bhartāraḥ: husbands
• bhartāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• te: those
• te: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural; demonstrative pronoun agreeing with bhartāraḥ

• hari-bhaktāḥ: devotees of Hari
• hari-bhaktāḥ: Pradhāna-nāma (predicate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakta (कृदन्त from √bhaj)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural; tatpuruṣa: hareḥ bhaktāḥ (devotees of Hari)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: Conditional particle (शर्त/if)

• syuḥ: should be/would be
• syuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस् धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Plural

• āsām: of these (women)
• āsām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; possession)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (इदम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural

• strīṇām: of women
• strīṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• janma-sāphalyam: fulfilment of (their) birth
• janma-sāphalyam: Karta (कर्ता; subject of implied asti)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janma (प्रातिपदिक) + sāphalya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular; tatpuruṣa: janmanaḥ sāphalyam (fruitfulness of birth)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (अवधारण)

• aneka-janma-arjita-puṇya-saṃcayaiḥ: by accumulations of merit earned over many births
• aneka-janma-arjita-puṇya-saṃcayaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aneka (प्रातिपदिक) + janma (प्रातिपदिक) + arjita (कृदन्त from √arj) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃcaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural; multi-member tatpuruṣa: anekajanmabhiḥ arjitaḥ puṇyasaṃcayaḥ; instrumental of cause/means

• tad-bhartāraḥ: their husbands
• tad-bhartāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + bhartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural; tatpuruṣa: tāsāṃ bhartāraḥ (their husbands)

• hari-bhaktāḥ: devotees of Hari
• hari-bhaktāḥ: Pradhāna-nāma (predicate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakta (कृदन्त from √bhaj)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• bhaveyuḥ: would become
• bhaveyuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Plural

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Association with a Hari-bhakta spouse is a fruition of many-births’ merit; such bhakti makes life ‘fulfilled’.

Vedantic Theme: Saṃskāra and puṇya as preparatory causes; bhakti as the culminating grace-fruit (bhagavat-kṛpā mediated through puṇya and saṅga).

Application: Value and seek sat-saṅga; support devotional practice within family life; interpret fortunate spiritual influences as a call to deepen bhakti.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: recurring motif that sat-saṅga and Viṣṇu-bhakti arise from accumulated puṇya

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Vishnu
• Garuda
• Stri (women)

FAQs

What is the importance of Hari-bhakti in the Garuda Purana according to this verse?

This verse treats devotion to Hari as a decisive spiritual blessing within household life, implying that association with a Hari-bhakta (here, a husband) makes one’s life meaningful and oriented toward liberation-supporting dharma.

How does this verse explain the role of past-life merit (puṇya) in devotion?

It states that becoming a devotee of Hari is not random; it is supported by a store of virtue accumulated across many births, which ripens into bhakti in the present life.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate devotional practices (nāma-japa, pūjā, satsanga) and ethical living in family life, recognizing that sustained good conduct and devotion reinforce each other over time.