Shloka 116

An exposition on the fruits of charity and on entry into a body

Garbhotpatti, Piṇḍa-śarīra, and Antya-kāla-kriyā

Devanagari script

रसोदधिं रसे विद्याच्छोणिते दधिसगरम् / स्वादुलं लम्बिकास्थाने गर्भोदं शुक्रसंस्थितम्

Transliteration

rasodadhiṃ rase vidyācchoṇite dadhisagaram / svādulaṃ lambikāsthāne garbhodaṃ śukrasaṃsthitam

Translation

بدنی رَس میں رَسودَھی کو سمجھو، اور خون میں دہی کا سمندر۔ لَمبِکا (حلق کی لٹکن) کے مقام میں مٹھاس کا تَتّو ہے، اور منی میں گَربھودَک واقع ہے۔

Word by Word

• रस-उदधिम्: the juice-ocean
• रस-उदधिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रस (प्रातिपदिक) + उदधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (रसस्य उदधिः)

• रसे: in rasa (sap/essence)
• रसे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• विद्यात्: one should know
• विद्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• शोणिते: in blood
• शोणिते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोणित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• दधि-सगरम्: the curd-ocean
• दधि-सगरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दधि (प्रातिपदिक) + सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (दध्नः सागरः)

• स्वादु-लम्: sweet water (sweet ocean)
• स्वादु-लम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वादु (प्रातिपदिक) + ल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; (पाठभेद/दुर्लभ-शब्दः) स्वादु-जलम् इत्यर्थे; तत्पुरुष-समासः

• लम्बिका-स्थाने: in the place called lambikā
• लम्बिका-स्थाने: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लम्बिका (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (लम्बिकायाः स्थानम्)

• गर्भ-उदम्: the womb-water (garbhoda)
• गर्भ-उदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक) + उद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गर्भस्य उदः)

• शुक्र-संस्थितम्: situated in semen
• शुक्र-संस्थितम्: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्-स्था (धातु) → संस्थित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी/सप्तमी-भावार्थे तत्पुरुषः (शुक्रे/शुक्रस्य मध्ये संस्थितम्)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Medical Ayurveda

Dosha: Mixed

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Inner ‘oceans’ correspond to rasa and blood; subtle essences reside in specific bodily loci; generative principle is framed as ‘garbhodaka.’

Vedantic Theme: From gross (sthūla) to subtle (sūkṣma) contemplation; body seen as a field of essences rather than a self.

Application: Meditative body-scan: observe sensations (rasa), vitality (blood), speech/swallow locus (lambikā), and generative energy with non-attachment.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: samudra/essence loci mapped to internal anatomy

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.32.115–117 (continuation from oceans to cakra/graha placements)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of rasa and bodily essences in the Garuda Purana?

This verse maps key bodily essences (rasa, blood, semen, womb-water) to symbolic ‘oceans/seas,’ emphasizing how the embodied being is formed through subtle-to-gross transformations—contextually relevant to Preta Kanda discussions on the body and post-death states.

How does this verse connect to the soul’s journey after death in the Garuda Purana?

Preta Kanda often explains the body’s composition to clarify what perishes and what continues; by detailing fluids and generative substances, the text distinguishes the transient physical basis from the subtle continuity that experiences after-death passages and rites.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

It encourages detachment and ethical living by remembering the body’s constructed, perishable nature, while also supporting faith in dharmic rites (e.g., śrāddha and piṇḍa-dāna) that address the subtle continuity beyond the physical frame.