Shloka 33

Dāna for the Preta: Supreme Gifts, Yama’s Pacification, and Viṣṇu-Smaraṇa at the Time of Death

Devanagari script

मस्तके तिष्ठतीशानो व्यक्ताव्यक्तो महेश्वरः / एकमूर्तेस्त्रयो भागा ब्रह्मा विष्णुहेश्वराः

Transliteration

mastake tiṣṭhatīśāno vyaktāvyakto maheśvaraḥ / ekamūrtestrayo bhāgā brahmā viṣṇuheśvarāḥ

Translation

Auf dem Haupt weilt Īśāna — Mahēśvara, zugleich offenbar und unverhüllt. In der einen göttlichen Gestalt sind drei Anteile: Brahmā, Viṣṇu und Mahēśvara.

Word by Word

• मस्तके: in the head
• मस्तके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मस्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• तिष्ठति: stands, abides
• तिष्ठति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ईशानः: Īśāna (a form of Śiva)
• ईशानः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईशान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• व्यक्त: manifest
• व्यक्त: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• अव्यक्तः: unmanifest
• अव्यक्तः: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-व्यक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• महेश्वरः: Maheśvara (the Great Lord)
• महेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक: महा + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महान् ईश्वरः)

• एकमूर्तेः: of the single form
• एकमूर्तेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक-मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक: एक + मूर्ति)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (एका मूर्तिः)

• त्रयः: three
• त्रयः: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• भागाः: parts, portions
• भागाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Apposition (सम्बोधन/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्/ब्रह्मा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विष्णु: Viṣṇu
• विष्णु: Apposition
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (समाहार-निर्देश)

• ईश्वराः: lords (as forms)
• ईश्वराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; (त्रयः ईश्वराः—त्रिमूर्तयः)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinatā-putra in the Garuda Purana dialogue framework)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The one divine reality manifests functionally as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara; Īśāna at the crown is both manifest and unmanifest, pointing to transcendence beyond form.

Vedantic Theme: Saguna-nirguna relation; ekatva (oneness) underlying functional plurality; antaryāmin culminating at the crown (symbol of higher consciousness).

Application: Cultivate integrative devotion and contemplation: honor diverse divine forms without sectarian hostility; meditate on the crown as a locus of transcendence while maintaining devotion to one’s iṣṭa.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: subtle sacred geography

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: trimūrti and body-mapping context (adjacent verses); Garuda Purana: Viṣṇu-bhakti sections that still acknowledge other deities as functional aspects (thematic)

Characters & Entities

• Ishana
• Maheshvara
• Brahma
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of the Trimurti concept in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Mahēśvara as three functional aspects within one divine reality, supporting a unified theology while explaining distinct cosmic roles.

How does this verse relate to the Garuda Purana’s teachings on the soul and after-death understanding?

By presenting the divine as both manifest and unmanifest, it provides a metaphysical basis for subtle realities (seen/unseen) that the Garuda Purana later applies to the soul’s journey and post-death states.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate reverence for the one Supreme expressed through multiple forms; this supports steadiness in worship, ethical living (dharma), and faith during rites connected with death and remembrance.