Shloka 27

Gradations of Bliss and Knowledge; Lakṣmī’s Special Insight; The Rarity of Bhakti in Kali-yuga; Nīlā’s Vow and Śrīnivāsa Darśana

Devanagari script

रुक्मिण्याद्याः षण्महिष्यो ममश्रीर्नीला च या मम भार्या खगेन्द्र / सर्गे पूर्वस्मिन्हव्यवाहस्य पुत्री तास्ता भजे सद्य एवा विशेषात्

Transliteration

rukmiṇyādyāḥ ṣaṇmahiṣyo mamaśrīrnīlā ca yā mama bhāryā khagendra / sarge pūrvasminhavyavāhasya putrī tāstā bhaje sadya evā viśeṣāt

Translation

噢，伽坚陀罗（迦楼罗），茹克弥尼与我其余六位大王后——并圣吉祥天女室利（拉克什米），以及为我妻的尼拉——她在前一劫的创造中曾为哈维亚瓦哈（阿耆尼，火神）之女：我于此刻悉皆礼敬供奉，尤以殊胜恭敬。

Word by Word

• rukmiṇī-ādyāḥ: beginning with Rukmiṇī
• rukmiṇī-ādyāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of ‘mahiṣyaḥ’
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rukmiṇī + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Bahuvacana (बहुवचन); ādi-śabda as upapada; ‘beginning with Rukmiṇī’

• ṣaṭ-mahiṣyaḥ: the six queens
• ṣaṭ-mahiṣyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) / topic (uddeśya)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṭ (संख्या) + mahiṣī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Bahuvacana (बहुवचन); dvigu-samāsa ‘six queens’

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana (एकवचन); possessive genitive

• śrīḥ: Śrī (Lakṣmī)
• śrīḥ: Karta (कर्ता) / apposition to ‘nīlā’ etc.
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• nīlā: Nīlā
• nīlā: Karta (कर्ता) / apposition
• Type: Noun
• Root: nīlā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; proper name

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (समुच्चय-निपात) conjunction

• yā: who
• yā: Karta (कर्ता) of implied clause
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; relative pronoun

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana

• bhāryā: wife
• bhāryā: Karta (कर्ता) / predicate nominative
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāryā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• khagendra: O lord of birds
• khagendra: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khaga + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Sambodhana (8th/सम्बोधन), Ekavacana; address to Garuḍa

• sarge: in the creation
• sarge: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Saptamī (7th/सप्तमी), Ekavacana; locative ‘in (a) creation/kalpa’

• pūrvasmin: in the former
• pūrvasmin: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of ‘sarge’
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Saptamī, Ekavacana; demonstrative/qualifier ‘former’ (pūrvasmin sarge)

• havyavāhasya: of Havyavāha (Agni)
• havyavāhasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: havyavāha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana; ‘carrier of oblations’ = Agni

• putrī: daughter
• putrī: Karta (कर्ता) / apposition
• Type: Noun
• Root: putrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• tāḥ: those (women)
• tāḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Bahuvacana; demonstrative pronoun

• tāḥ: those very
• tāḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana; repetition for emphasis

• bhaje: I worship
• bhaje: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhaj (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्, Present), Uttama-puruṣa (1st person/उत्तम), Ekavacana; parasmaipada/ātmanepada usage varies; here ‘I worship/serve’

• sadyaḥ: immediately
• sadyaḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadyaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Kāla-avyaya (काल-अव्यय) adverb

• eva: indeed
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avadhāraṇa-nipāta (अवधारण-निपात) emphatic particle

• viśeṣāt: especially
• viśeṣāt: Hetu/Apādāna (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Pañcamī (5th/पञ्चमी), Ekavacana; ablative ‘especially/from distinction’

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Worship (bhajana) of the Lord’s divine consorts/śaktis—Rukmiṇī etc., Śrī, and Nīlā—performed ‘now’ with viśeṣa (special reverence), acknowledging cosmic continuity of divine relationships.

Vedantic Theme: Śakti-śaktimān unity: Lakṣmī/consorts as inseparable auspicious power of the Lord; līlā across kalpas.

Application: Integrate devotion with gratitude and remembrance: honor the divine feminine as auspiciousness, cultivate śraddhā, and maintain regular worship with focused reverence.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shringara

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Geographic Context

Type: celestial court/palace (implied)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.19.26 (transition: ‘six wives’)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda (Khagendra)
• Rukmini
• Lakshmi (Sri)
• Nila
• Agni (Havyavaha)

FAQs

What is the importance of invoking Rukmiṇī, Śrī (Lakṣmī), and Nīlā in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames them as especially venerable divine consorts connected to Viṣṇu, suggesting that remembrance and reverence of these śaktis supports devotion and auspiciousness (śrī) within the Purāṇic teaching context.

How does this verse explain the Purāṇic idea of “former creation” (pūrva-sarga)?

By stating that Nīlā was, in a previous sarga, the daughter of Havyavāha (Agni), the verse uses cyclical cosmology—identities and roles can manifest differently across cosmic cycles while remaining within a coherent divine narrative.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate reverence for the divine feminine alongside devotion to Viṣṇu—through respectful remembrance, mantra, and ethical living that honors prosperity (Śrī) and purity (Agni symbolism) in daily conduct.