Shloka 120
Multi-form Manifestations, Indra–Kāma Incarnations, Pravāha, and the Twofold Buddhi
Sense-Discipline and Exclusive Refuge in Viṣṇu
तव स्वामिन्कुलदेवो महात्मन्पलायितः कुत्र मे तद्वदस्व / स्वदेहानां पूजयित्वा च सम्यक्कण्ठाभरणैर्विधुराणां च केशैः
tava svāminkuladevo mahātmanpalāyitaḥ kutra me tadvadasva / svadehānāṃ pūjayitvā ca samyakkaṇṭhābharaṇairvidhurāṇāṃ ca keśaiḥ
噫，大德者，请告诉我：你主人家的族神（kuladeva）逃往何处？他们把自己的身体当作供奉之物而“恭敬”礼拜，又以项链与饰物装点，甚至以寡妇之发为饰。
Garuda (Vinata-putra) addressing Lord Vishnu (Mahātman)
Concept: Abandoning one’s rightful deity/dharma while indulging in bodily vanity and exploitative, impure adornments leads to spiritual fall; true reverence is directed to the divine, not the ego-body.
Vedantic Theme: Dehābhimāna (identification with the body) as bondage; dharma requires humility, purity, and right worship rather than narcissistic ritualism.
Application: Maintain regular worship of one’s iṣṭa/kuladevatā with ethical conduct; avoid practices that exploit vulnerable people (e.g., widows) or glorify vanity; cultivate respect and protection for widows and marginalized persons.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Related Themes: Garuda Purana moral critiques of hypocrisy, impure customs, and abandonment of deity-centered life (contextual parallel)
FAQs
This verse implies that adharma can sever one’s protective connection with the kuladeva—symbolically described as the deity “fleeing”—highlighting the role of dharmic conduct in sustaining spiritual protection.
By portraying degraded practices (self-worship for vanity and taboo adornments), the verse points to moral decline that generates negative karma, which in the Preta-kanda framework affects the soul’s post-death condition and judgment.
Maintain reverence for dharma in rituals and social conduct; avoid exploitative or impure practices done for display, and cultivate devotion that aligns with compassion and ethical restraint.