Shloka 40

Devanagari script

इदं कृतमिदं कार्यमिदमन्यत्कृताकृतम् / एवमीहासमायुक्तं कृतान्तः कुरुते वशम्

Transliteration

idaṃ kṛtamidaṃ kāryamidamanyatkṛtākṛtam / evamīhāsamāyuktaṃ kṛtāntaḥ kurute vaśam

Translation

“สิ่งนี้ทำแล้ว สิ่งนี้ต้องทำ สิ่งอื่นทำแล้วหรือยังมิได้ทำ”—ผู้ที่พันธนาการด้วยความดิ้นรนอันกระสับกระส่ายเช่นนี้ ย่อมตกอยู่ใต้อำนาจกฤตานตะ (ความตาย)

Word by Word

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular)

• कृतम्: done
• कृतम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular)

• कार्यम्: to be done; duty
• कार्यम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular)

• अन्यत्: another (thing)
• अन्यत्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular)

• कृत: done
• कृत: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular); समासाङ्ग (member of compound)

• अकृतम्: not done, undone
• अकृतम्: Viśeṣya (विशेष्य/Qualified)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अकृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• ईहासमायुक्तम्: endowed with striving/effort
• ईहासमायुक्तम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ईहा + सम् + आ + युज् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त) from समा-युज्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (singular); तत्पुरुष: ईहया समायुक्तम् (endowed with striving/endeavour)

• कृतान्तः: Death (the end-maker)
• कृतान्तः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• कुरुते: makes
• कुरुते: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), आत्मनेपद

• वशम्: subjection, control
• वशम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (singular)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Asakti (non-attachment) and freedom from compulsive ‘to-do’ identification; restless striving (īhā) becomes bondage under Kṛtānta.

Vedantic Theme: Saṃsāra driven by saṅkalpa-vikalpa; liberation begins with disidentification from doership (kartṛtva) and anxiety over outcomes.

Application: Reduce compulsive rumination (‘done/undone’ loops); act with clarity, then release; cultivate remembrance of mortality to prioritize sādhana and inner steadiness.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa themes: inevitability of death; urgency of dharma and bhakti before Yama’s summons (general parallel motifs)

Characters & Entities

• Kṛtānta (Yama/Death)

FAQs

What is the importance of detachment from ‘I did’ and ‘I must do’ in the Garuda Purana?

This verse says that obsessive identification with actions and unfinished tasks binds a person, making them easy to be overpowered by Death (Kṛtānta) through karmic compulsion and fear.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in relation to Yama?

By emphasizing that clinging to doership and constant striving creates bondage, the verse implies that such attachment carries forward as karmic momentum, placing the jīva under Yama’s jurisdiction at death.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform duties without obsession or ego—reduce anxiety over “done/undone,” cultivate steadiness (vairāgya), and live ethically so that death is faced with clarity rather than compulsion.