Shloka 12

Rajayakshma Nidana: Causes, Pathogenesis, Symptoms, and Prognosis

Devanagari script

पतनं कृकलासाहिकपिश्वापदपक्षिभिः / केशास्थितुषभस्मादितरौ समधिरोहणम्

Transliteration

patanaṃ kṛkalāsāhikapiśvāpadapakṣibhiḥ / keśāsthituṣabhasmāditarau samadhirohaṇam

Translation

اسے چھپکلیوں، سانپوں، گوشت خور جانوروں اور پرندوں کے درمیان گرا دیا جاتا ہے؛ پھر بال، ہڈیاں، بھوسا، راکھ وغیرہ باقیات پر اسے چتا پر چڑھنے کے لیے مجبور کیا جاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• पतनम्: falling; a fall
• पतनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत् (धातु) + अन (प्रत्यय) → पतन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भाववाचक-क्तिन्/अन-प्रत्ययान्त (action noun)

• कृकलासाहिकपिश्वापदपक्षिभिः: by lizards, snakes, carnivorous beasts, and birds
• कृकलासाहिकपिश्वापदपक्षिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृकलास + अहि + क (पिश्वापद) + पक्षिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (समाहार-द्वन्द्व-समूह), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• केशास्थितुषभस्मादि: hair, bones, husk/chaff, ash, etc.
• केशास्थितुषभस्मादि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केश + अस्थि + तुष + भस्म + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समाहार-द्वन्द्व), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तरौ: on a tree
• तरौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (वैकल्पिकरूपेण; ‘तरौ’ इति प्राचीन-लोकट्/सप्तमी एकवचन)

• समधिरोहणम्: climbing up; mounting
• समधिरोहणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम् (उपसर्ग) + अधि (उपसर्ग) + रुह् (धातु) + अन (प्रत्यय) → अधिरोहण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भाववाचक (action noun)

Speaker

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

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Immediately after death and during the preta period (implied need for rites)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Cruel or impure actions culminate in terrifying experiences connected with death, decay, and the cremation-ground.

Vedantic Theme: Saṃsāra-bhaya and vairāgya: confronting the inevitability of death and the consequences of adharma.

Application: Live with ahiṃsā and cleanliness; perform timely expiation and charity; cultivate detachment and remembrance of Viṣṇu to reduce fear at death.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Geographic Context

Type: cremation_ground

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: cremation-ground imagery and fearsome experiences tied to papa (general); Garuda Purana: descriptions of preta’s distress around bodily remnants and rites that relieve it (general internal parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Serpents
• Birds

FAQs

What is the importance of describing punishments in the Garuda Purana?

This verse uses vivid images of torment to warn that harmful karma leads to painful post-death experiences, reinforcing ethical restraint and dharmic living.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

It portrays the preta’s suffering as a consequence-driven journey, where the departed undergoes fear and pain through hostile beings and cremation-related ordeals, reflecting karma’s results beyond death.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Avoid cruelty and harmful conduct, live with self-control and compassion, and support dharmic rites for the departed with sincerity while focusing on ethical action as the primary safeguard.