Shloka 29

Kāraṇānvēṣaṇam: The 32 Marks of Hari, Defects (Doṣas), Death-Omens, and Hari’s Omnipresence in Social & Household Life

Devanagari script

अष्टभिश्चैव संयुक्ताः सप्तभिः पितरस्तथा

Transliteration

aṣṭabhiścaiva saṃyuktāḥ saptabhiḥ pitarastathā

Translation

Ebenso heißt es, dass die Pitṛs, die Ahnenväter, in Verbindung mit acht Gruppen und auch mit sieben Gruppen angeordnet sind.

Word by Word

• अष्टभिः: with eight
• अष्टभिः: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन; numeral adjective (संख्यावाचक विशेषण)

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

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: सम्बन्ध (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• संयुक्ताः: joined/associated
• संयुक्ताः: कर्तृसम्बन्धी विशेषण (Predicate adjective/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + युज् (धातु) → संयुक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; agrees with implied plural subject

• सप्तभिः: with seven
• सप्तभिः: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्तन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण) विभक्ति, बहुवचन; numeral adjective

• पितरः: the Pitṛs (ancestors)
• पितरः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• तथा: likewise/so
• तथा: सम्बन्ध (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: तुल्यतार्थक/अनुक्रमबोधक अव्यय (adverb: likewise/so)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda)

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Pitṛ-sambandha: ancestors are structured in recognized groupings, implying ordered obligations of remembrance and offering.

Vedantic Theme: Ṛṇa-traya awareness (debts to gods, sages, ancestors) as part of dharmic life that purifies the mind for higher pursuit.

Application: Maintain ancestral remembrance through ethical living and appropriate memorial observances; cultivate gratitude to lineage and caregivers.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: realm

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa sections on śrāddha and pitṛ-gati (general thematic linkage); Garuda Purana 3.22.25-28 (same enumerative chapter context)

Characters & Entities

• Pitris

FAQs

What is the importance of Pitṛ groupings (seven and eight) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse indicates that the Pitṛs are understood through traditional numerical classifications; such groupings guide how ancestral beings are conceptually organized when explaining Śrāddha, offerings, and the post-death order.

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

By emphasizing the structured order of the Pitṛ realm, it supports the Garuda Purana’s broader teaching that the departed and ancestral worlds are governed by specific categories—relevant to how rites like piṇḍa-dāna and tarpaṇa are directed.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Remember that ancestral rites are not random: perform Śrāddha/tarpaṇa with clarity of intention and proper procedure, honoring the Pitṛs as a well-defined spiritual category within dharma.