Shloka 32

Gayā-kṣetra and Phalgu Tīrtha: Sites, Rites, and the Liberation of the Pitṛs

Devanagari script

गायत्त्रे चैव सावित्रे तीर्थे सारस्वते तथा / स्नानस न्ध्यातर्पणकृच्छ्राद्धी चैकोत्तरं शतम्

Transliteration

gāyattre caiva sāvitre tīrthe sārasvate tathā / snānasa ndhyātarpaṇakṛcchrāddhī caikottaraṃ śatam

Translation

في تيرثا غاياتري (Gāyatrī) وفي تيرثا سافيتري (Sāvitrī)، وكذلك في تيرثا ساراسفتي (Sarasvatī) المقدّس، ينبغي أداء الاغتسال، وطقوس السندهيا (Sandhyā)، وتقديمات التربنة (tarpaṇa)، وتوبة كرتشرا (Kṛcchra)، وشعيرة الشرادها—فتكون جملة ذلك مئةً وواحدًا (101) من الأعمال.

Word by Word

• गायत्त्रे: at the Gāyatra (tīrtha)
• गायत्त्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गायत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (locative: 'at Gāyatra [tīrtha]')

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम्

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्ययम् (emphatic particle: 'indeed/just')

• सावित्रे: at the Sāvitra (tīrtha)
• सावित्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सावित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (locative: 'at Sāvitra [tīrtha]')

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• सारस्वते: at the Sārasvata (tīrtha)
• सारस्वते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सारस्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (locative: 'at Sārasvata [tīrtha]')

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/तुल्यार्थक-अव्ययम्

• स्नान: bathing
• स्नान: Sambandha (Compound-member/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; समासाङ्ग (पूर्वपद)

• सन्ध्या: twilight (sandhyā rites)
• सन्ध्या: Sambandha (Compound-member/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सन्ध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; समासाङ्ग (पूर्वपद)

• तर्पण: libation/oblations (tarpaṇa)
• तर्पण: Sambandha (Compound-member/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तर्पण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; समासाङ्ग (पूर्वपद)

• कृतश्राद्धी: one who has performed śrāddha
• कृतश्राद्धी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (√कृ, क्त-कृदन्त) + श्राद्धिन्/श्राद्धी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; क्तान्त-पूर्वपदसमासः; अर्थः: 'श्राद्धं कृतवान्'

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम्

• एकोत्तरम्: one more (i.e., 101)
• एकोत्तरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; संख्याविशेषणम्; तत्पुरुषः (एकेन उत्तरम् = 'one more')

• शतम्: a hundred
• शतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; संख्याशब्दः

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda)

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Integrated daily/occasional duties—purificatory bath, sandhyā, tarpaṇa, penance, and śrāddha—constitute a complete regimen of ritual purity and obligation.

Vedantic Theme: Śuddhi (purification) as preparation for higher aims; karma and niyama stabilize the mind and social-religious order.

Application: Combine regular sandhyā and tarpaṇa with periodic śrāddha; undertake measured prāyaścitta (kṛcchra) when required, under guidance.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Geographic Context

Type: tīrtha/river-ford

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: sections prescribing sandhyā, tarpaṇa, and śrāddha as linked duties; Garuda Purana: prāyaścitta mentions where kṛcchra is listed among expiations

Characters & Entities

• Gayattri
• Savitri
• Sarasvati
• Sandhya
• Tarpaṇa
• Kṛcchra
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the importance of tīrthas like Gayattrī, Sāvitrī, and Sarasvatī in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents them as highly meritorious pilgrimage settings where core rites—snāna, Sandhyā, tarpaṇa, penance, and śrāddha—are to be performed for spiritual purification and ancestral benefit.

How does this verse relate to the soul’s journey and after-death duties?

By emphasizing tarpaṇa and śrāddha, it points to pitṛ-kārya (ancestral rites) as supportive duties that sustain dharma and are traditionally linked with aiding the departed and maintaining the family’s ritual obligations.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Maintain regular Sandhyā (or daily prayer discipline), perform tarpaṇa and śrāddha with sincerity when appropriate, and approach pilgrimage/ritual acts as occasions for ethical self-purification rather than mere formality.