Shloka 42

Garuḍa’s Return to Vaikuṇṭha and the Comprehensive Inquiry into Death-Rites and the Preta’s Journey

Devanagari script

दशमे किं मलस्नानं कार्यं सर्वजनैः सह / कस्मात्तैलोद्वर्तनं च स्कन्धवाहगृहं नयेत्

Transliteration

daśame kiṃ malasnānaṃ kāryaṃ sarvajanaiḥ saha / kasmāttailodvartanaṃ ca skandhavāhagṛhaṃ nayet

Translation

Warum sollen am zehnten Tag alle gemeinsam nach der Unreinheit das reinigende Bad vollziehen? Und aus welchem Grund wird eine Öleinreibung mit Reiben vorgenommen, und der Körper auf den Schultern getragen und zum Haus gebracht?

Word by Word

• daśame: on the tenth (day)
• daśame: Kāla/Adhikaraṇa (Time-locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśama (दशम प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); ordinal used temporally

• kim: what?
• kim: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (किम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन)

• mala-snānam: purificatory bath
• mala-snānam: Karma/Viṣaya (Topic/Object/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mala (मल) + snāna (स्नान)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष: 'bath for removing impurity'

• kāryam: to be done/required
• kāryam: Vidhi (Obligation/विधि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārya (कार्य प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ + यत्)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन); Gerundive/obligatory (कर्तव्यतार्थक)

• sarva-janaiḥ: by all people
• sarva-janaiḥ: Kartṛ-karaṇa (Agent group/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (सर्व) + jana (जन)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन); कर्मधारय: 'all people'

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: Postposition 'with' (सह-योगे अव्यय; तृतीया-सहयोगी)

• kasmāt: why?/from what reason?
• kasmāt: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (किम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• taila-udvartanam: oil-rubbing
• taila-udvartanam: Karma/Viṣaya (Topic/Object/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taila (तैल) + udvartana (उद्वर्तन)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष: 'rubbing with oil'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयार्थक)

• skandha-vāha-gṛham: the place/house of bier-bearers
• skandha-vāha-gṛham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: skandha (स्कन्ध) + vāha (वाह) + gṛha (गृह)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष: 'house/place of the bier-bearers (pall-bearers)'

• nayet: should lead/take
• nayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √nī (नी धातु)
• Form: Lakāra: Vidhiliṅ (विधिलिङ्, optative), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), Purusha: 3rd (प्रथम), Vachana: Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Garuda (Vinata-putra) questioning Lord Vishnu

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Ekoddishta

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Tenth day (daśāha) purification and associated closure acts.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Collective purification (malasnāna) and oil-rubbing as rites that mark the end of intense impurity and stabilize body-mind after mourning; carrying on shoulders to the house as a symbolic closure/transition act.

Vedantic Theme: Saṁskāra as a means to order the mind and society; purity rules as pragmatic supports within vyavahāra, not ultimate reality.

Application: Observe purification and closure rites to support psychological processing of grief and to restore routine; treat them as structured transitions rather than superstition.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: household/riverbank

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: tenth-day rites and śauca-nivṛtti explanations; Garuda Purana: descriptions of preta’s day-by-day dependence and corresponding family rites

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of the tenth-day purification bath in Garuda Purana?

This verse frames the tenth-day bath as a formal cleansing after death-related impurity (aśauca), performed collectively, indicating a community completion of the impurity period and readiness to resume normal sacred duties.

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

Indirectly: by asking the rationale of specific funeral observances, the verse signals that outward rites are linked to the preta’s transitional state and the family’s ritual obligations during the soul’s post-death journey.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat bereavement rites as disciplined, respectful closures—observe cleanliness, collective responsibility, and reverence in handling the dead—while following one’s family tradition and local dharma guidelines.