Shloka 20

Preta-mārga Supports (Dāna), Chitragupta’s Accounting, and the Enumeration of Narakas

Devanagari script

बहुधर्मसमाकीर्णे निर्वाते तोयवर्जिते / कमण्डलुप्रदानेन सुखी भवति निश्चितम्

Transliteration

bahudharmasamākīrṇe nirvāte toyavarjite / kamaṇḍalupradānena sukhī bhavati niścitam

Translation

An einem Ort, der von vielen Pflichten des Dharma erfüllt ist, doch ohne schützenden Hauch und ohne Wasser, wird man gewiss glücklich durch die Gabe eines Kamaṇḍalu (Wassergefäßes).

Word by Word

• बहुधर्मसमाकीर्णे: in a place crowded with many duties/conditions
• बहुधर्मसमाकीर्णे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + समाकीर्ण (कृदन्त; सम्+आ+कॄ धातोः क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; बहु-धर्मैः समाकीर्णे इति (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष/बहुव्रीहिसदृश-विशेषणप्रयोग)

• निर्वाते: in a windless place
• निर्वाते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्वात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying implied place)

• तोयवर्जिते: devoid of water
• तोयवर्जिते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्जित (कृदन्त; वर्ज् धातोः क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तोयेन वर्जिते/तोयस्य वर्जिते)

• कमण्डलुप्रदानेन: by the gift of a water-pot (kamaṇḍalu)
• कमण्डलुप्रदानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कमण्डलु (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कमण्डलोः प्रदानम्)

• सुखी: happy, comfortable
• सुखी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुखिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (of the person)

• भवति: becomes
• भवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• निश्चितम्: certainly
• निश्चितम्: Sambandha/Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: निश्चित (कृदन्त; नि+चि धातोः क्त)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; निश्चयार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial accusative/neuter)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in dialogue instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Providing water (kamaṇḍalu) yields certain happiness for the departed in waterless conditions; small practical charity has decisive karmic fruit.

Vedantic Theme: Sāttvika dāna as purifier; karma’s certainty (‘niścitam’) underscores moral causality.

Application: Donate water pots, water access, and support for drinking-water infrastructure; offer water to travelers and the needy, dedicating merit to ancestors.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: waterless tract/waystation

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: water-related dāna repeatedly praised as crucial aid on the Yama-path; Garuda Purana: emphasis on thirst/heat hardships and their alleviation through specific gifts

Characters & Entities

• Garuda

FAQs

What is the importance of donating a kamaṇḍalu in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that gifting a water-pot brings assured comfort and happiness, emphasizing water-related charity as a high-merit act that alleviates hardship on difficult, waterless stretches associated with the preta’s journey.

How does this verse relate to the soul’s journey after death in the Preta Kanda?

Preta Kanda teachings repeatedly link specific donations (dāna) with relief from post-death discomforts; here, the kamaṇḍalu symbolizes provision of water, countering the suffering of thirst and deprivation described along the route toward Yama’s domain.

What is a practical application of this teaching today?

Offer water or water-vessels as charity—especially in memory of the departed or during śrāddha-related observances—and support public water access (pots, coolers, drinking stations), aligning everyday compassion with dharmic merit.