Shloka 30

Yuga-Dharma, Kalpa Measure, Purāṇa Definitions, and the Kali-Yuga Power of Nāma-Kīrtana

Devanagari script

तपस्विनोग्रामवासाः न्यासिनो ह्यर्थलोलुपाः / ह्रस्वकाया महाहाराश्चौरास्ते साधवः स्मृताः

Transliteration

tapasvinogrāmavāsāḥ nyāsino hyarthalolupāḥ / hrasvakāyā mahāhārāścaurāste sādhavaḥ smṛtāḥ

Translation

جو تپسوی کی صورت بنا کر گاؤں میں رہیں؛ جو سنیاسی کا بھیس دھار کر دولت کے لالچی ہوں؛ جو چھوٹے جسم کے ہو کر بھی بہت زیادہ کھائیں—وہ چور ہیں، بس نام کے ‘سادھو’ مشہور ہیں۔

Word by Word

• तपस्विनः: ascetics
• तपस्विनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nom., Pl.)

• ग्राम-वासाः: village-dwelling
• ग्राम-वासाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक) + वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थ (Masculine, Nom., Pl.; 'dwelling in villages')

• न्यासिनः: renunciants
• न्यासिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: न्यासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nom., Pl.)

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

• अर्थ-लोलुपाः: greedy for wealth
• अर्थ-लोलुपाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + लोलुप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Masculine, Nom., Pl.; 'greedy for wealth')

• ह्रस्व-कायाः: short-bodied
• ह्रस्व-कायाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ह्रस्व (प्रातिपदिक) + काय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (Masculine, Nom., Pl.; 'short-bodied')

• महा-आहाराः: big-eating, gluttonous
• महा-आहाराः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (Masculine, Nom., Pl.; 'great-eating')

• चौराः: thieves
• चौराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चौर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nom., Pl.)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Pronoun, Nom., Pl.)

• साधवः: good men, saints
• साधवः: Samanaadhikarana (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nom., Pl.)

• स्मृताः: are considered/called
• स्मृताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगार्थः (Past passive participle: 'are considered')

Speaker

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

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: External ascetic signs without inner vairāgya are theft—appropriating sanctity for gain; greed and overindulgence negate tapas.

Vedantic Theme: Bāhya-liṅga vs antaḥkaraṇa-śuddhi: liberation-oriented life requires inner dispassion, not costume; lobha is a binding vṛtti.

Application: Assess holiness by restraint, humility, and non-possessiveness; practice simple living; avoid enabling exploitative religious economies.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: hasya

Geographic Context

Type: village/settlement

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: hypocrisy and vow-breaking in 1.223.29-31

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Garuda

FAQs

What is the importance of condemning false renunciation in the Garuda Purana?

This verse warns that merely wearing the marks of austerity or renunciation is not dharma; greed and indulgence make such a person a “thief” of trust and religious merit.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By highlighting deceit and craving as adharma, it implies that inner intention (greed, hypocrisy) shapes karma and thus affects the soul’s post-death consequences described in the Garuda Purana.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Evaluate teachers and oneself by conduct—simplicity, honesty, and restraint—rather than external appearance, titles, or robes.