Shloka 18

Vow-Fasting (Anaśana), Sannyāsa, Tīrtha-Death, and the Ethics of Dāna

Devanagari script

तीर्थसेवी नरो यस्तु सर्वकिल्बिषवर्जितः / तत्र म्रियते दह्येत तत्तीर्थफलभाग्भवेत्

Transliteration

tīrthasevī naro yastu sarvakilbiṣavarjitaḥ / tatra mriyate dahyeta tattīrthaphalabhāgbhavet

Translation

Wer die Tīrthas in Hingabe aufsucht und ihnen dient, frei von aller Sünde, wenn er dort stirbt und dort verbrannt wird, wird Teilhaber der vollen Frucht, des ganzen Verdienstes jenes Tīrtha.

Word by Word

• तीर्थ-सेवी: a pilgrim/one who serves holy places
• तीर्थ-सेवी: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + सेविन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तीर्थस्य सेविन्)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); विरोध/विशेषार्थे

• सर्व-किल्बिष-वर्जितः: free from all sins
• सर्व-किल्बिष-वर्जितः: विशेषण (Adjectival to कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + किल्बिष (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्जित (कृदन्त; √वर्ज् त्यक्तौ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP); तत्पुरुष-समासः (सर्वाणि किल्बिषाणि वर्जितः)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• म्रियते: dies
• म्रियते: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• दह्येत: would be burned/cremated
• दह्येत: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दह् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

• तत्-तीर्थ-फल-भाग्: a sharer of that pilgrimage’s fruit
• तत्-तीर्थ-फल-भाग्: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (तस्य तीर्थस्य फलस्य भागः)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Svarga

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Self (preta/ātman’s gati)

Timing: At death and immediately post-death (antyeṣṭi context) at the tīrtha

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Tīrtha-sevā and sinlessness (kिल्बिष-वर्जित) yield heightened puṇya; death and cremation at the tīrtha confer full tīrtha-phala.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-śuddhi as preparation for higher realization; sacred space supports sattva and auspicious saṃskāra at life’s end.

Application: Live with ethical purity and regular pilgrimage/service; if possible, arrange end-of-life spiritual support and sacred remembrance (smaraṇa) rather than mere logistics.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: tīrtha/śmaśāna vicinity (cremation at tīrtha)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: tīrtha-mahātmyas; merit of dying in sacred places; importance of antyeṣṭi and śuddhi

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Garuda
• Tirtha

FAQs

What is the importance of dying at a tīrtha in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that a sin-free person devoted to tīrthas who dies and is cremated at that sacred place partakes of the tīrtha’s full spiritual merit (tīrtha-phala).

How does this verse connect death rites with spiritual outcomes?

It links the place of death and cremation (dahana) to the accrual of merit, implying that proper end-of-life circumstances at a sacred tīrtha support auspicious post-death results.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate a life of ethical purity (sin-avoidance) and sincere pilgrimage practice; treat funeral rites with reverence, understanding that intention, conduct, and sacred context are emphasized.