Shloka 132

Āśauca, Daśāha Piṇḍa-Rites, Vṛṣotsarga, Sāpiṇḍīkaraṇa, and the Yama-mārga

Path to Yama

Devanagari script

भोजनं भल्लभल्लीभिर्मुसलैश्च क्व मारणम् / नवमे मासि दत्तं वै नानाक्रन्दपुरे ततः

Transliteration

bhojanaṃ bhallabhallībhirmusalaiśca kva māraṇam / navame māsi dattaṃ vai nānākrandapure tataḥ

Translation

কোথায় অন্নদান, আর কোথায় মুসল ও গদা দিয়ে হত্যা? অতঃপর নবম মাসে যা দান করা হয়, তা নিশ্চিতই ‘নানাক্রন্দ’ (বহু ক্রন্দনের) নগরে প্রাপ্ত হয়।

Word by Word

• भोजनम्: food; eating
• भोजनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन

• भल्लभल्लीभिः: with thorny creepers/whips (bhallabhallīs)
• भल्लभल्लीभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भल्लभल्ली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन

• मुसलैः: with clubs
• मुसलैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुसल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन

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

• क्व: where? how (at all)?
• क्व: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• मारणम्: killing; slaying
• मारणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन

• नवमे: in the ninth
• नवमे: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नवम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण (ordinal adjective)

• मासि: month
• मासि: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन

• दत्तम्: given
• दत्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘given’

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• नानाक्रन्दपुरे: in the city/place of many cries
• नानाक्रन्दपुरे: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाना (अव्यय) + क्रन्द (प्रातिपदिक) + पुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-समासभावः (place characterized by various cries)

• ततः: thereafter; from there
• ततः: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: तस्मात्-निर्देशार्थक-अव्यय (ablatival adverb: thereafter/from there)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vainateya)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: नवमे मासि (ninth month after death)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The stark divergence between dharmic giving (anna-dāna/śrāddha) and violent harm; the preta’s experience is shaped by prior deeds and by timely offerings from the living.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala and saṃsāric continuity of experience beyond death; the jīva’s embodied-like suffering in subtle transit until proper rites/support.

Application: Perform timely śrāddha/anna-dāna; cultivate ahiṃsā; avoid cruelty and support the departed with prescribed monthly offerings.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: city

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana, Pretakalpa: monthly śrāddha/pinda sequence (navama–ekādaśa māsa stations); Garuda Purana: descriptions of Yamadūtas and intermediate cities in preta-yātrā

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Pretas
• Yama

FAQs

What is the importance of the ninth-month offering in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that what is given in the ninth month is specifically received in Nānākranda-pura, indicating a month-wise linkage between śrāddha/charitable offerings and the preta’s experience on the post-death journey.

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

It contrasts nourishment through offerings (food/charity) with violent suffering (beating/killing), and places the ninth-month gift within a specific after-death locale—Nānākranda—showing the Garuda Purana’s structured mapping of experiences and relief during the preta’s passage.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform śrāddha and charitable feeding with sincerity and non-violence in life; the text frames food-giving as supportive to the departed and violence as leading to suffering.