Shloka 46

The Preta’s Staged Journey to Yama’s City: Monthly Śrāddha Supports, Vaitaraṇī Crossing, and the Witnesses of Deeds

Devanagari script

दैवं हि पूर्वसुकृतं तन्मया नैव सञ्चितम् / एवं सञ्चिन्त्य बहुशो धैर्यमालम्बते पुनः

Transliteration

daivaṃ hi pūrvasukṛtaṃ tanmayā naiva sañcitam / evaṃ sañcintya bahuśo dhairyamālambate punaḥ

Translation

ชะตากรรมแท้จริงเป็นผลแห่งบุญกุศลจากชาติก่อน; แต่บุญนั้นเรามิได้สั่งสมไว้ ครั้นใคร่ครวญดังนี้ซ้ำแล้วซ้ำเล่า ผู้นั้นย่อมยึดมั่นในความกล้าหาญและทำจิตให้สงบมั่นคงอีกครั้ง

Word by Word

• दैवम्: fate; divine dispensation
• दैवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; abstract noun

• हि: indeed; for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), emphasis/causal nuance

• पूर्वसुकृतम्: former merit; past good deed
• पूर्वसुकृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + सुकृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पूर्वस्य सुकृतम्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• एव: certainly; at all
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• सञ्चितम्: accumulated; stored up
• सञ्चितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+चि (धातु) → सञ्चित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; ‘accumulated’

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• सञ्चिन्त्य: having reflected
• सञ्चिन्त्य: Kriya (Non-finite verb/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+चिन्त् (धातु) → सञ्चिन्त्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘having reflected’

• बहुशः: many times
• बहुशः: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहुशः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• धैर्यम्: steadfastness; courage
• धैर्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धैर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• आलम्बते: he/she takes hold of; resorts to
• आलम्बते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ+लम्ब् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda in the Preta Kanda context)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Daiva as the maturation of prior-life merit; repeated reflection stabilizes the mind and restores courage.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala and the cultivation of titikṣā/śama as inner discipline amid prārabdha-like outcomes.

Application: When facing fortune/misfortune, reinterpret it as karmic fruition; practice repeated contemplation (manana) to regain steadiness instead of blaming others or collapsing into fatalism.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: karma-phala accounting and the inevitability of deed-fruit (nearby 2.16.49–50)

Characters & Entities

• Daiva
• Pūrva-sukṛta
• Karma

FAQs

What does ‘daiva’ mean in the Garuda Purana?

In this verse, daiva refers to the apparent force of destiny—understood as the ripened result of past merit (pūrva-sukṛta) rather than random chance.

How does this verse connect fate with karma?

It states that what is experienced as fate is rooted in earlier-life good deeds; reflecting on this karmic causality helps a person regain dhairya (steadiness) instead of collapsing into panic.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

When facing hardship, repeatedly reflect that outcomes arise from causes (karma) and cultivate dhairya—respond with disciplined action, prayer, and ethical living rather than despair.