Shloka 16

Gayā-māhātmya: Gayāsura, Viṣṇu’s Establishment, and the Fruits of Śrāddha at Gayā

Devanagari script

समुद्राः सरितः सर्वा वापीकूपह्रदास्तथा / स्नातुकामा गयातीर्थं व्यास यास यान्ति न संशयः

Transliteration

samudrāḥ saritaḥ sarvā vāpīkūpahradāstathā / snātukāmā gayātīrthaṃ vyāsa yāsa yānti na saṃśayaḥ

Translation

O Vyāsa, alle Ozeane, alle Flüsse und ebenso Teiche, Brunnen und Seen—im Verlangen nach rituellem Bad—ziehen zum heiligen Tīrtha von Gayā; daran besteht kein Zweifel.

Word by Word

• समुद्राः: oceans
• समुद्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• सरितः: rivers
• सरितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• वापी-कूप-ह्रदाः: ponds, wells, and lakes
• वापी-कूप-ह्रदाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वापी (प्रातिपदिक) + कूप (प्रातिपदिक) + ह्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (वाप्यश्च कूपाश्च ह्रदाश्च)

• तथा: and also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अन्वयार्थे (and also/likewise)

• स्नातु-कामाः: desirous of bathing
• स्नातु-कामाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्नातु (तुमुनन्त/कृदन्त; √स्ना धातु) + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (स्नातुं कामः)

• गया-तीर्थम्: the Gayā pilgrimage-place
• गया-तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गयायाः तीर्थम्)

• व्यास: O Vyāsa
• व्यास: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• यास: O Yāsa
• यास: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; (पाठान्तर/सम्बोधन-नाम)

• यान्ति: go
• यान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Viṣṇu (in dialogue instruction to Garuḍa; verse addresses Vyāsa in the received wording)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Tīrtha-māhātmya: Gayā’s sanctity is so great that all waters converge there for purification.

Vedantic Theme: Outer purity as a support (bahir-śuddhi) for inner purity; sacred geography as a pedagogical symbol of the One purifying reality.

Application: Undertake tīrtha-snāna with restraint and devotion; treat pilgrimage as a discipline—truthfulness, non-injury, charity, and remembrance of Hari.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: tirtha (river/ghāṭa complex)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: Gayā-māhātmya passages praising snāna and śrāddha at Gayā; Garuda Purana: tīrtha-phala descriptions where rivers/oceans are personified

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Gayā (Gayātīrtha)

FAQs

What is the importance of Gayā tīrtha in the Garuda Purana?

This verse elevates Gayā as a uniquely powerful tīrtha for sacred purification—so meritorious that all waters are poetically said to “go” there seeking the fruit of bathing.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Indirectly: by highlighting Gayā’s extraordinary sanctity, it supports the Purāṇic ritual framework (especially śrāddha/piṇḍa offerings associated with Gayā) that is traditionally linked with helping ancestors and the departed in their post-death journey.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat pilgrimage and ritual bathing as disciplines of humility and remembrance—especially when performed with śrāddha intent, ethical living, and charity rather than mere tourism.