Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 127

Mukti-tattva Upadeśa: Knowledge as the Direct Cause of Liberation

Devanagari script

भजत जितहृषीकाः कृष्णमेनं मुनीशं समजनि बत यस्माद्गीः सुधासारधारा / पृषतमपि यदीयं वर्णरूपं निपीय श्रुतिपुटचुलुकेन प्राप्नुयादात्मनैक्यम्

Transliteration

bhajata jitahṛṣīkāḥ kṛṣṇamenaṃ munīśaṃ samajani bata yasmādgīḥ sudhāsāradhārā / pṛṣatamapi yadīyaṃ varṇarūpaṃ nipīya śrutipuṭaculukena prāpnuyādātmanaikyam

Translation

Hỡi những ai đã chế ngự các căn, hãy phụng thờ Kṛṣṇa—bậc chúa tể của các hiền triết, thân sắc thẫm như mây; vì từ Ngài sinh ra lời nói tuôn chảy như dòng cam lộ. Dẫu chỉ một giọt lời Ngài, khi uống bằng chén tai chụm lại, cũng có thể đưa người đến nhất thể với Chân Ngã.

Word by Word

• bhajata: worship (you all)
• bhajata: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhaj (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन (plural), परस्मैपद

• jita-hṛṣīkāḥ: (you) who have conquered the senses
• jita-hṛṣīkāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jita (कृदन्त, √ji धातु) + hṛṣīka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहिसमास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘जितानि हृषीकाणि येषाम्’

• kṛṣṇam: Krishna
• kṛṣṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• enam: this (him)
• enam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam/enad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• munīśam: lord of sages
• munīśam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘मुनीनाम् ईशः’); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• samajani: arose/was born
• samajani: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; ‘सम्+अजनि’

• bata: indeed/alas
• bata: Sambandha/Avyaya (सम्बन्ध/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bata (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/exclamation)

• yasmāt: from whom
• yasmāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन

• gīḥ: speech/utterance
• gīḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• sudhā-sāra-dhārā: a stream of the essence of nectar
• sudhā-sāra-dhārā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sudhā (प्रातिपदिक) + sāra (प्रातिपदिक) + dhārā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (निर्धारण/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• pṛṣatam: a drop
• pṛṣatam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛṣata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• api: even/also
• api: Avyaya (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• yadīyam: belonging to whom/whose
• yadīyam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yadīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बन्धवाचक विशेषण; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘यस्य इदम्’

• varṇa-rūpam: the form of syllables/letters (sound-form)
• varṇa-rūpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• nipīya: having drunk
• nipīya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√pā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘निपीय’ = having drunk

• śruti-puṭa-culukena: with the handful-cup of the ear (i.e., by earful)
• śruti-puṭa-culukena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śruti (प्रातिपदिक) + puṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + culuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष; पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण (instrument)

• prāpnuyāt: would attain
• prāpnuyāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘प्र+आप्नुयात्’

• ātmanaḥ: of the self
• ātmanaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• aikyam: oneness/identity
• aikyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aikya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Worship Kṛṣṇa with conquered senses; his nectar-like speech, even in a drop received through attentive hearing, can grant ātma-aikya (oneness with the Self).

Vedantic Theme: Śabda-pramāṇa and śravaṇa as direct means to realization; bhakti culminating in jñāna (bhakti-jnāna-sāmarasya) and non-dual assimilation.

Application: Practice indriya-jaya (sense restraint), then engage in focused śravaṇa of Kṛṣṇa-kathā/teachings; treat each line as ‘amṛta-bindu’—reflect and meditate until it transforms identity.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: Vaiṣṇava-mahātmyas praising nāma/kathā as amṛta and liberating; Adjacent verses (2.49.128–129) describing sages ‘drinking’ Vaiṣṇava speech-nectar and attaining satisfaction/joy

Characters & Entities

• Krishna
• Vishnu
• Munis

FAQs

What is the importance of hearing (śravaṇa) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse says even a small ‘sip’ of divine teaching received through the ears can lead to ātma-aikya (union with the Self), making śravaṇa a direct means toward liberation.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

It points the soul toward freedom by sense-mastery and devotion: when the senses are restrained and one drinks in the Lord’s nectar-like instruction, one attains inner unity rather than remaining bound to post-death wandering.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Practice sense-discipline and regularly listen to/recite puranic or vedantic teachings with attention; even brief daily śravaṇa is presented here as transformative toward self-knowledge.