Shloka 3

Explanation of Purification (Śuddhi-vyākhyāna)

Devanagari script

पाषड्यनाश्रमाश्चैव महापातकिनस्तथा / स्त्रियश्च व्यभिचारिण्य आरूढपतितास्तथा

Transliteration

pāṣaḍyanāśramāścaiva mahāpātakinastathā / striyaśca vyabhicāriṇya ārūḍhapatitāstathā

Translation

وكذلك أهل البدع والضلال ومن يهجرون انضباطات مراحل الآشراما، وكذلك المرتكبون للكبائر العظمى. والنساء الزانيات، ومن سقطوا في انحطاطٍ أخلاقي جسيم—كلّهم يُعَدّون في زمرة المذمومين.

Word by Word

• pāṣaṇḍyanāśramāḥ: Heretics and those without an Ashrama
• pāṣaṇḍyanāśramāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṣaṇḍin-anāśrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• ca: and
• ca: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (emphatic)

• mahāpātakinaḥ: great sinners
• mahāpātakinaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahāpātakin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• tathā: likewise/also
• tathā: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb

• striyaḥ: women
• striyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• ca: and
• ca: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• vyabhicāriṇyaḥ: adulterous/unchaste
• vyabhicāriṇyaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyabhicārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• ārūḍhapatitāḥ: those who have fallen from a high state/vow
• ārūḍhapatitāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ārūḍhapatita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vainateya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Deviation from āśrama discipline, mahāpātaka, and sexual transgression are framed as causes of ‘fallenness’ with ritual consequences.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma as purifier of antaḥkaraṇa; adharma as obscuration leading to bondage and suffering.

Application: Maintain commitments of one’s life-stage duties; avoid grave transgressions; seek prāyaścitta and reform rather than continued downfall.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: sections on mahāpātaka, prāyaścitta, and śrāddha restrictions (topic-parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of listing sins like mahāpātaka in the Garuda Purana?

This verse classifies specific grave transgressions (mahāpātaka and dharma-rejecting conduct) to indicate who is considered severely blameworthy in Yama’s moral accounting, urging adherence to dharma and prescribed life-duties.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

By identifying categories of serious sinners, the verse implies that such persons face adverse post-death outcomes under Yama’s jurisdiction, contrasting with those who follow āśrama-dharma and moral restraint.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Maintain integrity in conduct (especially sexual ethics), avoid dharma-denying ideologies that justify harm, and live responsibly within one’s duties—so one’s karma supports a calmer death-transition and better post-death destiny.