Shloka 36

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

Devanagari script

प्रतिक्षणभयं कालः क्षीयमाणो न लक्ष्यते / आमकुंभ इवांभः स्थो विशीर्णो न विभाव्यते

Transliteration

pratikṣaṇabhayaṃ kālaḥ kṣīyamāṇo na lakṣyate / āmakuṃbha ivāṃbhaḥ stho viśīrṇo na vibhāvyate

Translation

时间在每一刹那都被消磨，却无人察觉——尽管每一瞬都令人心惧；如未烧制的陶罐立于水中，悄然崩解，直到破裂方才知晓。

Word by Word

• प्रतिक्षणभयम्: moment-by-moment fear
• प्रतिक्षणभयम्: कर्ता (Karta/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रति-क्षण-भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘भयम्’—‘at every moment’ इति उपपद-तत्पुरुष

• कालः: time
• कालः: कर्ता (Karta/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• क्षीयमाणः: being consumed/diminishing
• क्षीयमाणः: कर्ता (Karta/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षि (धातु)
• Form: शानच् (Present Passive Participle/वर्तमानकृदन्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृविशेषण—‘being diminished’

• न: not
• न: क्रियानिषेध (Kriyā-niṣedha/क्रियानिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय

• लक्ष्यते: is perceived
• लक्ष्यते: क्रिया (Kriyā/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

• आमकुम्भः: an unbaked pot
• आमकुम्भः: उपमान (Upamāna/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आम-कुम्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘कुम्भः’ विशेष्यः—‘unbaked pot’

• इव: like
• इव: सम्बन्ध (Sambandha/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक अव्यय (comparative particle)

• अम्भःस्थः: standing in water
• अम्भःस्थः: उपमान (Upamāna/उपमान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अम्भः-स्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘अम्भसि स्थितः’—‘कुम्भः’ इति विशेषण

• विशीर्णः: crumbled/disintegrated
• विशीर्णः: कर्ता (Karta/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-शीर्ण (धातु-निष्पन्न प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृविशेषण

• न: not
• न: क्रियानिषेध (Kriyā-niṣedha/क्रियानिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय

• विभाव्यते: is discerned/recognized
• विभाव्यते: क्रिया (Kriyā/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinatā-putra in the Preta Kanda dialogue)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Time erodes life each moment, yet beings fail to notice until collapse—like an unbaked pot disintegrating in water.

Vedantic Theme: Kshanabhangura (moment-to-moment perishability) and pramada (heedlessness) as bondage.

Application: Keep a daily 'memento mori' practice; review day’s actions; align choices with lasting values (dharma and moksha).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: domestic metaphor (clay pot in water)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: recurring kala-kshaya and pramada warnings (thematic)

Characters & Entities

• Kala (Time/Death)

FAQs

What is the importance of time (kāla) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents kāla as an unseen force that steadily consumes life; recognizing its constant erosion is meant to awaken urgency for dharma, right conduct, and timely spiritual preparation.

How does this verse relate to the soul’s journey after death in the Preta Kanda?

By stressing that life diminishes unnoticed, it urges one to prepare before death arrives—so the preta-state and post-death passages described in the Preta Kanda are not faced unprepared due to negligence.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat each day as finite: reduce harmful actions, prioritize dharmic duties, remembrance of mortality, and sincere spiritual practice instead of postponing what matters until “later.”