Garuda Purana — Moksha Sadhana Prakarana, Shloka 50

Sṛṣṭi-krama: Brahmā’s Sequential Creation of Devas, Sages, and Sense-Presiding Powers

Devanagari script

जयाद्यानन्तरं ब्रह्मा वल्लाद्याः कर्मदेवताः / शतवर्षानन्तरं तु सृष्टवाञ्छिववाहनम्

Transliteration

jayādyānantaraṃ brahmā vallādyāḥ karmadevatāḥ / śatavarṣānantaraṃ tu sṛṣṭavāñchivavāhanam

Translation

Pagkaraan nina Jaya at iba pa, nilikha ni Brahmā si Vallā at ang iba pang mga diyos na namamahala sa karma. At matapos ang isang daang taon, nilikha niya ang sasakyan (vāhana) ni Śiva.

Word by Word

• जय-आदि-अनन्तरम्: after Jaya and others
• जय-आदि-अनन्तरम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जय (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक) + अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (after Jaya etc.)

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• वल्ल-आद्याः: Valla and others
• वल्ल-आद्याः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; in apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वल्ल (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘वल्ल’ इत्यादयः (Valla and others)

• कर्मदेवताः: deities presiding over actions
• कर्मदेवताः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; apposition to वल्लाद्याः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्म + देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (deities of karma/ritual action)

• शतवर्ष-अनन्तरम्: after a hundred years
• शतवर्ष-अनन्तरम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शत + वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (after a hundred years)

• तु: then
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय

• सृष्टवान्: created
• सृष्टवान्: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate; participial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सृज् (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• शिववाहनम्: Śiva's vehicle
• शिववाहनम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव + वाहन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (vehicle of Śiva)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Karma is upheld by presiding intelligences (karmadevatāḥ); cosmic order includes functional deities and vehicles symbolizing divine power.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-kāṇḍa and cosmic governance operate in vyavahāra; ultimate reality remains beyond, yet order is meaningful for embodied beings.

Application: Act with accountability: recognize that actions have structured consequences; cultivate ethical intentionality (saṅkalpa-śuddhi).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: cosmic-creation-sphere

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.13.51-52 (Parjanya, Puṣkara as further functional manifestations)

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Jaya
• Vallā
• Karma-devatās
• Śiva
• Śiva’s vāhana

FAQs

What is the importance of karma-devatās in the Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights that specific deities are appointed to preside over karma, reinforcing the Purāṇic idea that actions are governed, witnessed, and administered within a cosmic order.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By mentioning karma-presiding deities, the verse supports the Garuda Purana’s broader theme that the soul’s post-death experiences are shaped by karmic records and their divine administration.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with accountability: treat actions as consequential and ethically weighty, since karma is portrayed as part of an ordered system rather than mere chance.