Shloka 25

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

Devanagari script

गृहे तु यत् कृतं पापं तीर्थस्नानेन शुध्यति / कुरुते तत्र पापञ्चेद्वज्रलेपसमं हि तत्

Transliteration

gṛhe tu yat kṛtaṃ pāpaṃ tīrthasnānena śudhyati / kurute tatra pāpañcedvajralepasamaṃ hi tat

Translation

Sünde, die im Hause begangen wurde, wird durch das Bad an einem Tīrtha gereinigt. Begeht man jedoch selbst dort Sünde, so wird diese Sünde wie mit Diamant überzogen—schwer zu entfernen.

Word by Word

• gṛhe: in the house
• gṛhe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (अवधारण/विरोधार्थक)

• yat: which/whatever
• yat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; relative pronoun referring to pāpam

• kṛtam: done/committed
• kṛtam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धा॒तु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; agreeing with pāpam

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• tīrtha-snānena: by bathing at a sacred place
• tīrtha-snānena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (tīrthasya snānena)

• śudhyati: is purified
• śudhyati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śudh (धा॒तु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular

• kurute: does/commits
• kurute: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धा॒तु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Ātmanepada, 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (देशवाचक अव्यय)

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• cet: if
• cet: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cet (अव्यय)
• Form: Conditional particle (यदि-अर्थक अव्यय)

• vajra-lepa-samam: like a coating of diamond (i.e., extremely hard to remove)
• vajra-lepa-samam: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्तृ-समानााधिकरण/subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vajra (प्रातिपदिक) + lepa (प्रातिपदिक) + sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; tatpurusha within (vajrasya lepaḥ) + adjective sama; used predicatively of tat (pāpam)

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (हेतौ/निश्चयार्थक अव्यय)

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; demonstrative pronoun referring to the sin committed there

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vainateya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Sacred places amplify both purification and culpability; wrongdoing at a tīrtha yields heavy, stubborn karmic residue.

Vedantic Theme: Karma’s subtlety: context and intention intensify saṃskāra; purity is not mechanical—ethical integrity is essential.

Application: Approach sacred spaces with heightened mindfulness; avoid hypocrisy and exploitation; treat ‘spiritual settings’ as requiring stricter ethics, not looser.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: tirtha

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.36.23–24 (tīrtha at death; merit of journey); Garuda Purana dharma sections warning against tīrtha-apacāra (general theme)

Characters & Entities

• Tirtha

FAQs

What is the importance of tīrtha-snāna (holy bathing) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that bathing at a tīrtha has purificatory power for sins committed in ordinary life, emphasizing pilgrimage as a dharmic means of inner cleansing.

How does this verse explain the seriousness of sin at a holy place?

It teaches that wrongdoing at a tīrtha becomes ‘vajra-lepa’—as if diamond-coated—meaning it becomes especially difficult to purify due to the greater sanctity and intentional violation involved.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat sacred spaces and rituals with integrity: go for pilgrimage with restraint, truthfulness, and non-harm, and avoid exploiting religious settings for unethical acts.