Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 82

Dāna as Prāyaścitta; Deathbed Gifts; Antyeṣṭi Procedures; Nārāyaṇa-bali for Untimely Deaths

Devanagari script

शोकापनोदं कुर्वीत संसारानित्यतां ब्रुवन् / मानुष्ये कदलीस्तन्भे असारे सारमार्गणम्

Transliteration

śokāpanodaṃ kurvīta saṃsārānityatāṃ bruvan / mānuṣye kadalīstanbhe asāre sāramārgaṇam

Translation

当宣说世间轮回无常之理时，应能遣除忧悲。人身如蕉茎，无有坚实之髓；故当于本无实质之中，寻求真实要义。

Word by Word

• शोकापनोदम्: removal of grief
• शोकापनोदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोक-अपनोद (प्रातिपदिक; शोकः + अपनोदः)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-समासान्तप्रातिपदिक; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-सम्भाव्यः)

• कुर्वीत: should do / should perform
• कुर्वीत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधि), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• संसार-अनित्यताम्: the impermanence of worldly existence
• संसार-अनित्यताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार-अनित्यता (प्रातिपदिक; संसारः + अनित्यता)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी)

• ब्रुवन्: saying, declaring
• ब्रुवन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Present active participle/शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मानुष्ये: in human life / among humans
• मानुष्ये: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• कदली-स्तम्भे: in a banana-stem
• कदली-स्तम्भे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कदली-स्तम्भ (प्रातिपदिक; कदली + स्तम्भ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी)

• असारे: in the insubstantial (world)
• असारे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: असार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (संसारे/मानुष्ये इत्यर्थे)

• सार-मार्गणम्: search for the essence
• सार-मार्गणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सार-मार्गण (प्रातिपदिक; सारः + मार्गणम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी)

Speaker

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

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Anityatā of saṃsāra as a remedy for grief; cultivate viveka and seek the enduring essence beyond the perishable body-life.

Vedantic Theme: Viveka-vairāgya: discrimination between nitya/anitya; turning from asāra to sāra as a prerequisite for liberation-oriented life.

Application: When facing bereavement or loss, reflect on impermanence, reduce clinging to transient roles/possessions, and redirect effort toward lasting values: dharma, inner discipline, and devotion/knowledge.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: recurring anityatā and śoka-śamana counsel to survivors and the departing soul (general motif)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Garuda

FAQs

What is the importance of impermanence (saṃsārānityatā) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents impermanence as the primary medicine for grief: by remembering that worldly conditions and embodied life do not last, the mind loosens its clinging and sorrow diminishes.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in the Garuda Purana narrative?

By stressing that human life is coreless like a banana trunk, it redirects attention from mere bodily attachment toward the enduring aim—dharma and inner essence—supporting the text’s broader after-death teachings where attachment becomes a cause of suffering.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

When facing loss, consciously speak and reflect on life’s transience, prioritize dharmic duties and remembrance, and invest effort in lasting values (ethical conduct, spiritual practice) rather than unstable worldly identifications.