Shloka 5

Kāraṇānvēṣaṇam: The 32 Marks of Hari, Defects (Doṣas), Death-Omens, and Hari’s Omnipresence in Social & Household Life

Devanagari script

संत्येव पक्षीन्द्र वदाम्यनु क्रमान्मत्तः श्रुत्वा मोक्षमाप्नोति नित्यम् / यः सप्तपादः षण्णवत्यङ्गुलोङ्गश्चतुर्हस्तः पुरुषस्तीक्ष्णदन्तः

Transliteration

saṃtyeva pakṣīndra vadāmyanu kramānmattaḥ śrutvā mokṣamāpnoti nityam / yaḥ saptapādaḥ ṣaṇṇavatyaṅguloṅgaścaturhastaḥ puruṣastīkṣṇadantaḥ

Translation

ข้าแต่จอมราชาแห่งนก สิ่งเหล่านั้นมีอยู่จริง; เราจักกล่าวตามลำดับ. ผู้ใดได้ฟังจากเรา ย่อมบรรลุโมกษะเป็นนิตย์. มีบุรุษดุร้ายผู้หนึ่ง—มีเจ็ดเท้า กายยาวเก้าสิบหกองคุลี มีสี่กร และมีเขี้ยวฟันคมกล้า.

Word by Word

• santi: there are
• santi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (अवधारण-निपात)

• pakṣi-indra: O lord of birds
• pakṣi-indra: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣin (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'pakṣiṇām indraḥ'

• vadāmi: I speak
• vadāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vad (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 1st Person (उत्तमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• anu: in sequence/according to
• anu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anu (अव्यय)
• Form: Preverb/adverb (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) meaning 'following'

• kramāt: in order, step by step
• kramāt: Hetu/Adverbial (हेतु/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular; adverbial ablative = 'in order/stepwise'

• mattaḥ: from me
• mattaḥ: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular; pronoun = 'from me'

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय), 'having heard'

• mokṣam: liberation
• mokṣam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• āpnoti: attains
• āpnoti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adverbial accusative (क्रियाविशेषण-रूपेण) = 'always'

• yaḥ: who/that person who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; relative pronoun

• sapta-pādaḥ: having seven feet
• sapta-pādaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sapta (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; बहुव्रीहि: 'yasya sapta pādāḥ santi'

• ṣaṇṇavati-aṅgula-aṅgaḥ: whose body measures ninety-six finger-breadths
• ṣaṇṇavati-aṅgula-aṅgaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṇṇavati (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + aṅgula (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; बहुव्रीहि: 'yasya aṅgaṃ ṣaṇṇavati-aṅgula-parimāṇam'

• catur-hastaḥ: four-handed
• catur-hastaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; बहुव्रीहि: 'yasya catvāraḥ hastāḥ santi'

• puruṣaḥ: the person
• puruṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• tīkṣṇa-dantaḥ: sharp-toothed
• tīkṣṇa-dantaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tīkṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + danta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; बहुव्रीहि: 'yasya dantāḥ tīkṣṇāḥ'

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (addressing Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Śravaṇa (hearing) of the purāṇic teaching as a direct means to liberation; revelatory description of a ‘puruṣa’ as part of a salvific discourse.

Vedantic Theme: Mokṣa through right knowledge received by śravaṇa; the puruṣa motif hints at the ‘divine person’ archetype (puruṣa-lakṣaṇa) as an object of contemplation.

Application: Regular recitation/hearing of the text with focused attention; use the described form as a contemplative aid while remembering the promised mokṣa-phala of śravaṇa.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana, Preta-kalpa passages that promise moksha by hearing/reciting (śravaṇa-phala); Garuda Purana sections on Viṣṇu-lakṣaṇa and dhyāna of Hari (where bodily marks are enumerated)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda (Pakshindra)

FAQs

What is the importance of hearing Garuda Purana teachings in this verse?

The verse explicitly states that listening to the ordered teaching from Vishnu is a means that leads to moksha, emphasizing śravaṇa (sacred hearing) as spiritually transformative.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

It introduces a sequential description of post-death realities and depicts a fearsome being with specific measurements, signaling that the text will detail the entities encountered in the afterlife journey.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Study and listen to authentic scripture with discipline and moral intent, using the teaching as motivation to live ethically and prepare spiritually rather than fearfully for death.