Shloka 17

Brahmāṇḍa-Āvaraṇa Nirūpaṇa, Virajā-Setu, and Prākṛta–Vaikṛta Sṛṣṭi

Devanagari script

अष्टमावरणं व्योम्नोरं तरा विरजा नदी / पञ्चयोजनविस्तीर्णा समन्तात्परीधीकृता

Transliteration

aṣṭamāvaraṇaṃ vyomnoraṃ tarā virajā nadī / pañcayojanavistīrṇā samantātparīdhīkṛtā

Translation

Ang ikawalong sapin ng pagbalot ay ang Ilog Virajā, na nasa lampas ng lawak ng kalangitan. Ito’y pumapalibot bilang hanggahan sa lahat ng panig, at may lapad na limang yojana.

Word by Word

• aṣṭama-āvaraṇam: the eighth covering
• aṣṭama-āvaraṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭama (प्रातिपदिक) + āvaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष: अष्टमम् आवरणम् (the eighth covering)

• vyomnaḥ: of the sky/space
• vyomnaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyoman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन; ‘व्योम्नः’ (of the sky/space)

• uttarā: beyond/upper
• uttarā: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttarā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; ‘उत्तरा’ = उत्तरदिशि/परतः (beyond/northern/upper)

• virajā: Virajā (name of the river)
• virajā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: virajā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नदी-नाम (proper noun)

• nadī: river
• nadī: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• pañca-yojana-vistīrṇā: five-yojanas wide
• pañca-yojana-vistīrṇā: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca (प्रातिपदिक) + yojana (प्रातिपदिक) + vistīrṇa (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास: पञ्चयोजनैः विस्तीर्णा (spread to five yojanas)

• samantāt: on all sides
• samantāt: Desha-adhikarana (देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samantāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परितः/सर्वतः इत्यर्थे (adverb: on all sides)

• parīdhīkṛtā: encircling/formed as a boundary
• parīdhīkṛtā: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण/परिणाम)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pari-√dhā (धा धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘परिधीकृता’ = परिधिं कृतवती/परिवृता (made into a boundary/encircled)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Virajā as the eighth enclosure—an encircling boundary beyond the sky—implying a final threshold before the transcendent domain.

Vedantic Theme: Crossing beyond māyā’s limits; ‘virajā’ suggests freedom from rajas (agitation) and thus a metaphor for guṇātīta purity.

Application: Contemplate ‘crossing Virajā’ as inner purification: reduce agitation, cultivate steady devotion and discernment; treat boundaries as invitations to transcend, not as walls.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: cosmic river/boundary

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.10.16 (Hari in the unmanifest)

Characters & Entities

• Virajā

FAQs

What is the importance of the Virajā River in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents Virajā as an “āvaraṇa” (enclosing boundary) of the cosmos—an encircling, liminal river that marks a threshold beyond ordinary celestial space.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By describing Virajā as a crossing-place and boundary, the verse frames the soul’s journey as movement through graded realms, where certain limits (like Virajā) function as transitional markers between cosmic regions.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

It encourages reflection on spiritual boundaries and purification—living with restraint and clarity (viraja, “stainlessness”) so one’s transition through life’s thresholds is steady and unburdened.