Shloka 52

Sapindīkaraṇa: Timing, Eligibility, Gotra Rules, and Yearlong Śrāddha

with Vṛṣotsarga and Ghaṭa-dāna

Devanagari script

भर्तृसंगं परित्यज्य अन्यत्र म्रियते यदि / भर्तृलोकं न सा याति यावदाभूतसंप्लवम्

Transliteration

bhartṛsaṃgaṃ parityajya anyatra mriyate yadi / bhartṛlokaṃ na sā yāti yāvadābhūtasaṃplavam

Translation

Wenn eine Frau, nachdem sie die Gemeinschaft mit ihrem Gatten aufgegeben hat, anderswo stirbt, gelangt sie nicht in die Welt ihres Mannes—bis zur kosmischen Auflösung der Wesen (Pralaya).

Word by Word

• भर्तृसंगम्: association with the husband
• भर्तृसंगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भर्तृ + संग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—भर्तुः संगः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• परित्यज्य: having abandoned
• परित्यज्य: Purvakala-kriya (Absolutive/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परि + त्यज् (धातु) + ल्यप् (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया—'having abandoned'

• अन्यत्र: elsewhere
• अन्यत्र: Desha-adhikarana (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• म्रियते: dies
• म्रियते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्तरि—'dies'

• यदि: if
• यदि: Condition marker (शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तसूचक अव्यय (conditional conjunction)

• भर्तृलोकम्: the husband’s world
• भर्तृलोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भर्तृ + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—भर्तुः लोकः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध अव्यय

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• याति: goes
• याति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यावत्: until
• यावत्: Temporal limit (अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधि सूचक अव्यय (until/as long as)

• आभूतसंप्लवम्: (up to) the dissolution of beings
• आभूतसंप्लवम्: Karma (Extent/अवधि-पर्यन्त)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ + भूत + संप्लव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—भूतानां संप्लवः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) उपसर्ग 'आ' सहित; अर्थे—'up to the cosmic dissolution'

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Svarga

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Severing a prescribed bond leads to loss of a specific post-mortem attainment; consequences are framed as long-lasting (up to pralaya).

Vedantic Theme: Karma-niyati (lawful fruition) governing loka-attainment; attachment/association as a determinant of gati (trajectory).

Application: Read as a caution about commitments and the karmic weight of abandoning duties; more broadly, reflect on how choices shape long-term outcomes.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: loka (post-mortem realm)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana discussions on loka-attainment through conduct and vows (thematic)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Garuda
• Pralaya

FAQs

What is the importance of marital dharma in Garuda Purana?

This verse treats fidelity and continued marital association as a key dharmic condition affecting whether one attains the spouse’s realm after death.

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

It states that certain actions in life—here, abandoning the husband and dying elsewhere—alter the post-death destination, preventing entry into the husband’s loka for a very long duration (up to pralaya).

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Uphold commitments and ethical conduct within relationships, and approach life choices with awareness that dharma is presented as shaping one’s afterlife trajectory.