Shloka 14

Haristuti-saṅgraha: Devatā–Ṛṣi Praṇāma, Nāma-māhātmya, and Vairāgya from Deha-āsakti

Devanagari script

दक्ष उवाच / संचिन्तये भगवतश्चरणोदतीर्थं भक्त्या ह्यजेन परिषिक्तमजादिवन्द्यम् / यच्छौचनिः सृतमजप्रवरावतारं गङ्गाख्यतीर्थमभवत्सरितां वरिष्ठम्

Transliteration

dakṣa uvāca / saṃcintaye bhagavataścaraṇodatīrthaṃ bhaktyā hyajena pariṣiktamajādivandyam / yacchaucaniḥ sṛtamajapravarāvatāraṃ gaṅgākhyatīrthamabhavatsaritāṃ variṣṭham

Translation

Dakṣa sprach: In Hingabe betrachte ich die heilige Furt, die aus den Füßen des Herrn hervorging—von Brahmā geweiht und selbst von den Ungeborenen und den Urwesen verehrt. Von dort strömte die Läuternde herab, durch die höchsten Erscheinungsformen niedersteigend; sie wurde zum tīrtha namens Gaṅgā, der erhabensten unter den Flüssen.

Word by Word

• दक्षः: Dakṣa
• दक्षः: कर्ता (Speaker/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: क्रिया (Speech act)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• संचिन्तये: I contemplate / meditate upon
• संचिन्तये: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चिन्त् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; उपसर्गः सम्

• भगवतः: of the Lord
• भगवतः: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• चरण-उद-तीर्थम्: the sacred ford (water) arisen from (His) feet
• चरण-उद-तीर्थम्: कर्म (Karma/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरण (प्रातिपदिक) + उद (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘चरणात् उद्गतम्’ (arisen from the feet) इति तीर्थम्

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: करण (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: सम्बन्धसूचक (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), emphatic/causal nuance

• अजेन: by Brahmā (the Unborn)
• अजेन: कर्ता/करण (Agent in passive sense / instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘अज’ = ब्रह्मा (the Unborn)

• परिषिक्तम्: sprinkled/anointed
• परिषिक्तम्: विशेषण (Qualifier of तीर्थम्)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि+सिच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपसर्गः परि

• अज-आदि-वन्द्यम्: worshipped by Brahmā and others
• अज-आदि-वन्द्यम्: विशेषण (Qualifier of तीर्थम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अज (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक) + वन्द्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘अजादिभिः वन्द्यम्’ (worthy of worship by Brahmā and others)

• यत्: which
• यत्: सम्बन्ध (Relative connector)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• शौच-निःसृतम्: flowed forth (from ablution/purification)
• शौच-निःसृतम्: विशेषण (Qualifier of तीर्थम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शौच (प्रातिपदिक) + निः+सृ (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; उपसर्गः निः; तत्पुरुषः—‘शौचात् निःसृतम्’ (flowed forth from purification/ablution)

• अज-प्रवर-अवतारम्: an emanation of the foremost Unborn (Brahmā)
• अज-प्रवर-अवतारम्: विशेषण/अपादानार्थ-सम्बन्ध (Appositional descriptor of तीर्थम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अज (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रवर (प्रातिपदिक) + अवतार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘अजानां प्रवरस्य (ब्रह्मणः) अवतारः’ (manifestation/emanation of the foremost among the unborn)

• गङ्गा-आख्य-तीर्थम्: the sacred ford called Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा-आख्य-तीर्थम्: कर्म (Apposition to earlier object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘गङ्गा-आख्यम् तीर्थम्’ (the tīrtha named ‘Gaṅgā’)

• अभवत्: became / was
• अभवत्: क्रिया (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सरिताम्: of rivers
• सरिताम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive of comparison/superlative domain)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन

• वरिष्ठम्: the best
• वरिष्ठम्: विशेषण (Predicate adjective of तीर्थम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वरिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; अतिशय-विशेषण (superlative)

Speaker

Daksha

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Lord’s pāda-tīrtha becomes a cosmic purifier; contact with the divine (even as water/dust) sanctifies worlds and beings.

Vedantic Theme: The sacred manifests through īśvara-sambandha (relation to the Lord); tīrtha as a conduit of grace and inner cleansing.

Application: Approach sacred waters with bhakti and ethical intent; use tīrtha-snāna/ācamanam as a reminder to cleanse conduct and mind, not merely the body.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: river/tīrtha

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.7.15 (Rudra purified by foot-dust; continuation of Gaṅgā theme)

Characters & Entities

• Daksha
• Bhagavan (Lord Vishnu)
• Brahma (Aja)
• Ganga

FAQs

What is the importance of Ganga as a tīrtha in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents Gaṅgā as the foremost river because she originates from the Lord’s foot-water and functions as a supreme purifier, making her a central tīrtha for cleansing and sacred rites.

How does this verse connect devotion (bhakti) with purification?

Dakṣa ‘contemplates with devotion’ the Lord’s foot-born tīrtha, indicating that inner remembrance and reverence are integral to the purifying power attributed to Gaṅgā and holy waters.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Approach sacred acts—bathing, prayer, or remembrance of Gaṅgā—with sincerity and ethical intent, treating purification as both an inner discipline (bhakti, cleanliness) and an outer observance (tīrtha-sevā).