Garuda Purana

नयते प्राणदो वायुः शरीरे सर्वसन्धिषु । आहारो भुक्तमात्रस्तु वायुना क्रियते द्विधा ॥ २,३२.

The life-giving wind leads food throughout all the joints of the body; immediately after eating, the food is divided in two by the wind.

स प्रविश्य गुहे सम्यक्पृथगन्नं पृथग्जलम् । ऊर्ध्वमग्नेर्जलं कृत्वा तदन्नञ्च जलोपरि ॥ २,३२.

It enters the cavity properly, separating food and water; it places water above the fire and food above the water.

अग्नेश्चाधः स्वयं प्राणस्तमग्निञ्च धमेच्छनैः । वायुना धम्यमानोऽग्निः पृथक्किट्टं पृथग्रसम् ॥ २,३२.

Below the fire is the breath itself, which gently fans the fire; as the fire is fanned by the wind, waste and essence are separated.

मलैर्द्वादशभिः किट्टं भिन्नं देहात्पृथग्भवेत् । कर्णाक्षिनासिका जिह्वा दन्तनाभिवपुर्गुदम् ॥ २,३२.

Waste, divided into twelve kinds, is separated from the body; the ears, eyes, nose, tongue, teeth, navel, skin, and anus—

नखा मलाश्रया ह्येते विण्मूत्रञ्चेत्यनन्तकम् । शुक्रशोणितसंयोगादेतत्षाट्कौशिकं स्मृतम् ॥ २,३२.

The nails are seats of waste, as are feces and urine, and so forth; from the union of semen and blood, this sixfold residue is known.

रोम्णां कोट्यस्तथा तिस्रोऽप्यर्धकोटि समन्विताः । द्वात्रिंशद्दशनाः प्रोक्ताः सामान्याद्विनतासुत ॥ २,३२.

There are said to be seven hundred thousand hairs, and twenty nails; thirty-two teeth are declared, O son of Vinatā, as the general count.

सप्त लक्षाणि केशाः स्युर्नखाः प्रोक्तास्तु विंशतिः । मांसं पलसहस्रैकं सामान्याद्देहसंस्थितम् ॥ २,३२.

There are seven hundred thousand hairs, and twenty nails are stated; the flesh in the body is generally one thousand palas in weight.

रक्तं पलशतं तार्क्ष्यं बुद्धमेव पुरातनैः । पलानि दश मेदश्च त्वचा चैव तु तत्समा ॥ २,३२.

The blood is one hundred palas, O Tārkṣya, as known from ancient authorities; the fat is ten palas, and the skin is equal to that.

पलद्वादशकं मज्जा महारक्तं पलत्रयम् । शुक्रं द्विकुडवं ज्ञेयं शोणितं कुडवं स्मृतम् ॥ २,३२.

The marrow is twelve palas, the great blood is three palas; semen is to be known as two kuḍavas, and blood is said to be one kuḍava.

श्लेष्माणश्च षडूर्ध्वञ्च विण्मूत्रं तत्प्रमाणतः । अस्थ्नां हि ह्यधिकं प्रोक्तं षष्ट्युत्तरशतत्रयात् ॥ २,३२.

There are six measures of phlegm, and feces and urine in that proportion; the bones are said to be more, numbering three hundred and sixty.

एवं पिण्डः समाख्यातो वैभवं सम्प्रचक्ष्महे । सुखं दुः खं भयं क्षेमं कर्मणैव हि प्राप्यते ॥ २,३२.

Thus the body has been described; now I will explain its prosperity. Happiness, suffering, fear, and safety are all attained through action.

अधोमुखं चोर्ध्वपादं गर्भाद्वायुः प्रकर्षति । तले तु करयोर्न्यस्य वर्धते जानुपार्श्वयोः ॥ २,३२.

The wind draws the fetus from the womb, head downward and feet upward; when the hands are placed on the soles, it grows at the sides of the knees.

अङ्गुष्ठौ चोपरि न्यस्तौ जान्वोरथ कराङ्गुली । जानुपृष्ठे तथा नेत्रे जानुमध्ये च नासिका ॥ २,३२.

The big toes are placed above, as are the fingers of the hands at the knees; the eyes are on the back of the knees, and the nose is in the middle of the knees.

एवं वृद्धिं क्रमाद्याति जन्तुः स्त्रीगर्भसंस्थितः । काठिन्यमस्थीन्यायान्ति भुक्तपीतेन जीवति ॥ २,३२.

In this way, the creature situated in the womb of a woman grows gradually; the hardness of the bones develops, and it lives by what is eaten and drunk.

नाडी वाप्यायनी नाम नाभ्यां तत्र निबध्यते । स्त्रीणां तथान्त्रसुषिरे स निबद्धः प्रजायते ॥ २,३२.

There is a channel called Vāpyāyanī, which is attached at the navel; in women, it is fixed in the hollow of the intestine, and from there, birth occurs.

क्रामन्ति भुक्तपीतानि स्त्रीणां गर्भोदरे तथा । तैराप्यायितदेहोऽसौ जन्तुर्वृद्धिमुपैति च ॥ २,३२.

The food and drink consumed by women enter the womb; by these, the embodied being within is nourished and grows.

स्मृत्यस्तत्र प्रयान्त्यस्य बह्व्यः संसारभूतयः । ततो निर्वेदमायाति पीड्यमान इतस्ततः ॥ २,३२.

There, many memories arise for him, the roots of worldly existence; thus, tormented here and there, he comes to feel disillusionment.

पुनर्नैवं करिष्यामि भुक्तमात्र इहोदरात् । तथातथा यतिष्यामि गर्भं नाप्नोम्यहं यथा ॥ २,३२.

"I will not act in this way again," he thinks, as soon as he has eaten in the womb; "I will strive in every way so that I do not enter the womb again."

इति सञ्चिन्तयञ्जीवो स्मृत्वा जन्मशतानि वै । यानि पूर्वानुभूतानि देवभूतात्मजानि वै ॥ २,३२.

Thus reflecting, the soul recalls hundreds of births previously experienced, whether as gods, spirits, or humans.

ततः कालक्रमाज्जन्तुः परिवर्त्यत्वधोमुखः । नवमे दशमे वापि मासि संजायते ततः ॥ २,३२.

Then, in due course, the being turns downward; in the ninth or tenth month, he is born.

निष्क्रम्यमाणो वातेन प्राजापत्येन पीड्यते । निष्क्रमते च विलपंस्तदा दुःखनिपीडितः ॥ २,३२.

As he is being expelled by the wind of Prajapati, he is afflicted; he emerges, crying, pressed by suffering.

निष्क्रामंश्चोदरान्मूर्छामसह्यां प्रतिपद्यते । प्राप्नोति चेतनां चासौ वायुस्पर्शसुखान्वितः ॥ २,३२.

Emerging from the womb, he experiences unbearable faintness; then, touched by the wind, he regains consciousness, accompanied by the comfort of air.

ततस्तं वैष्णवी माया समास्कन्दति मोहिनी । तया विमोहितात्मासौ ज्ञानभ्रंशमवाप्नुते ॥ २,३२.

Then, the enchanting Māyā of Viṣṇu envelops him; deluded by her, he falls from knowledge.

भ्रष्टज्ञानं बालभावे ततो जन्तुः प्रपद्यते । ततः कौमारकावस्थां यौवनं वृद्धतामपि ॥ २,३२.

Deprived of knowledge, the being enters infancy; then he attains childhood, youth, and even old age.

पुनश्च तद्वन्मरणं जन्म प्राप्नोति मानवः । ततः संसारचक्रेऽस्मिन् भ्राम्यते घटयन्त्रवत् ॥ २,३२.

Again, in the same way, a person attains death and birth; thus, in this cycle of existence, he wanders like a wheel driven by a machine.

कदाचित्स्वर्गमाप्नोति कदाचिन्निरयं नरः । स्वर्गं च निरयं चैव स्वकर्मफलमश्नुते ॥ २,३२.

Sometimes a man attains heaven, sometimes hell; he experiences heaven and hell as the result of his own actions.

कदाचिद्भुक्तकर्मा च भुवं स्वल्पेन गच्छति । स्वर्लोके नरके चैव भुक्तप्राये द्विजोत्तमाः ॥ २,३२.

Sometimes, having exhausted his deeds, he comes to earth for a short time; when his experiences in heaven or hell are nearly finished, O best of twice-born, he returns.

नरकेषु महद्दुःखमेतद्यत्स्वर्गवासिनः । दृश्यते नात्र मोदन्ते पात्यमानास्तु नारकैः ॥ २,३२.

In the hells, there is great suffering, as seen by those who dwell in heaven; they do not rejoice there, being cast down among the denizens of hell.

स्वर्गेऽपि दुः खमतुलं यदारोहणकालतः । प्रभृत्यहं पतिष्यामीत्येतन्मनसि वर्तते ॥ २,३२.

Even in heaven, there is incomparable suffering from the time of ascent, for the thought persists: "From here, I will fall."