Shloka 47

An Exposition of the Distinctions of Creation, Inert Matter, and the Lord

Devanagari script

विशालानां परं ब्रह्मन्प्रलये गुणसाम्यता / कथं ब्रूहि महाभाग एतत्तत्त्वं समासतः

Transliteration

viśālānāṃ paraṃ brahmanpralaye guṇasāmyatā / kathaṃ brūhi mahābhāga etattattvaṃ samāsataḥ

Translation

ข้าแต่พรหมันผู้สูงสุด ในกาลปรลัย ตรีคุณย่อมอยู่ในภาวะสมดุลเสมอกัน ข้าแต่มหาภาค โปรดอธิบายหลักตัตตวะนี้แก่ข้าพเจ้าโดยย่อ

Word by Word

• विशालानाम्: of the vast (entities)
• विशालानाम्: Sambandha/Śeṣa (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचन; adjective used substantively ‘of the vast (ones/elements)’

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; qualifying ब्रह्म

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahman (sage)
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन

• प्रलये: at dissolution
• प्रलये: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pralaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन

• गुण-साम्यता: equilibrium of the qualities
• गुण-साम्यता: Karta/Viṣaya (विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + sāmyatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गुणानां साम्यता); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय (how?)

• ब्रूहि: tell/speak
• ब्रूहि: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √brū (ब्रू धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• महाभाग: O greatly fortunate one
• महाभाग: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (महान् भागः यस्य); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन

• एतत्-तत्त्वम्: this principle/truth
• एतत्-तत्त्वम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (प्रातिपदिक) + tattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (एतत् तत्त्वम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन

• समासतः: briefly
• समासतः: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samāsatas (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक अव्यय (in brief/summarily)

Speaker

Garuda (Vinata-putra) addressing Lord Vishnu / the Supreme Brahman

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: At pralaya the guṇas return to sāmyāvasthā (equilibrium); understanding this is key to grasping tattva (principle of manifestation).

Vedantic Theme: Unmanifest (avyakta) condition of prakṛti; cyclic cosmology; discernment of cause-state vs effect-state.

Application: Reflect on impermanence of manifest distinctions; use cosmological cycles as a contemplative aid to detach from guṇa-driven identifications.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Continuation of the guṇa-traya exposition in 3.4.48–50 (mixture and subsequent vaiṣamya at sṛṣṭi)

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Pralaya
• Guṇas (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas)

FAQs

What is the importance of guṇa-sāmyatā (equilibrium of the guṇas) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights that pralaya is characterized by the guṇas returning to a state of balance, signaling the withdrawal of manifested creation into an unmanifest, causal condition.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Indirectly, it frames the larger Purāṇic teaching that individual experience depends on guṇic activity; when creation dissolves into guṇa equilibrium, the manifest field of karma-driven experience is withdrawn.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate discernment of the guṇas in daily life—reducing agitation (rajas) and inertia (tamas) while strengthening clarity (sattva)—to support steadiness of mind and spiritual inquiry into tattva.