Shloka 13

The Narrative of the Five Pretas

Eligibility for rites and jīvac-chrāddha procedure

Devanagari script

अग्नये कव्यवाहनाय स्वधा नम इति स्मरन् / सोमायत्वा पितृमते स्वधा नम इति स्मरन्

Transliteration

agnaye kavyavāhanāya svadhā nama iti smaran / somāyatvā pitṛmate svadhā nama iti smaran

Translation

Indem man sich erinnert und spricht: „svadhā—namah“ zu Agni, dem kavyavāhana, dem Träger der Ahnenopfergabe; und dann, zu Soma gewandt, der mit den Pitṛs verbunden ist, sich erinnernd sprechen: „svadhā—namah“.

Word by Word

• अग्नये: to Agni
• अग्नये: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• कव्य-वाहनाय: to the carrier of ancestral offerings
• कव्य-वाहनाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कव्य (प्रातिपदिक) + वाहन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—कव्यस्य वाहनः (carrier of oblations to ancestors)

• स्वधा: “svadhā”
• स्वधा: Vacana/Mantra (उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वधा (प्रातिपदिक/मन्त्रपद)
• Form: मन्त्र-उद्गाररूपेण अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (mantric exclamation)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Vacana/Mantra (उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् नमस्कारार्थे अव्ययप्रयोगः (salutatory particle; indeclinable usage)

• इति: thus
• इति: Vacana-marker (उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative particle)

• स्मरन्: remembering/uttering
• स्मरन्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), परस्मैपद, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; 'remembering/reciting'

• सोमाय: to Soma
• सोमाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• त्वा: (and)
• त्वा: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्वा (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बोधन/समुच्चयार्थे निपातः; अत्र 'त्वा' पाठानुसार अव्यय (particle)

• पितृ-मते: to the one approved by the ancestors
• पितृ-मते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + मत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—पितॄणां मतः/सम्मतः (approved by the Pitṛs / Pitṛ-minded)

• स्वधा: “svadhā”
• स्वधा: Vacana/Mantra (उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वधा (प्रातिपदिक/मन्त्रपद)
• Form: मन्त्र-उद्गाररूपेण अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Vacana/Mantra (उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नमस्कारार्थे अव्ययप्रयोगः

• इति: thus
• इति: Vacana-marker (उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात

• स्मरन्: remembering/uttering
• स्मरन्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Parvana

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: During śrāddha oblation-mantra segment (homa/tarpaṇa-associated sequence)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Correct śrāddha requires precise mantra-address: svadhā to Agni (carrier of ancestral oblations) and svadhā to Soma (pitṛ-aligned).

Vedantic Theme: Ritual language (mantra) as niyama: intention and correct address refine karma into a purifying sacrament.

Application: In śrāddha, explicitly invoke Agni as kavyavāhana and then Soma with the svadhā-namaskāra, maintaining sequence and remembrance (smaraṇa).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: ritual-fire/altar orientation

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.8 (mantra sequence for śrāddha oblations: Agni, Soma, Yama etc.)

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Soma
• Pitris

FAQs

What is the importance of svadhā in Garuda Purana death rituals?

This verse shows svadhā as the key ritual utterance for Pitṛ-offerings, directing the oblation through Agni and aligning the act with Soma’s Pitṛ-associated principle.

How does this verse explain the role of Agni and Soma in śrāddha?

Agni is invoked as kavyavāhana—the transmitter of ancestral offerings—while Soma is remembered as pitṛmate, the deity-principle connected with the Pitṛs, completing the rite’s intended destination.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

During śrāddha/tarpaṇa, keep the intention clear: offer with reverence, recite the Pitṛ-focused formula (svadhā) correctly, and treat the act as a disciplined remembrance rather than a mechanical ritual.