Shloka 4

Budhāṣṭamī / Mahārudra Vrata: Procedure, Mantra, and the Story of Kauśika and Vijayā

Devanagari script

तस्यां नियमकर्तारो न स्युः खण्डितसम्पदः / तण्डुलस्याष्टमुष्टीनां वर्जयित्वाङ्गुलिद्वयम्

Transliteration

tasyāṃ niyamakartāro na syuḥ khaṇḍitasampadaḥ / taṇḍulasyāṣṭamuṣṭīnāṃ varjayitvāṅgulidvayam

Translation

In that rite, those who enforce the rules should not be persons of diminished or broken means. As for the rice, the prescribed measure is eight handfuls, excluding (not counting) two finger-breadths.

Word by Word

• tasyām: on that (occasion)
• tasyām: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; काल/अवसराधिकरणम्

• niyama-kartāraḥ: performers of the observance
• niyama-kartāraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niyama (प्रातिपदिक) + kartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; ‘नियमस्य कर्तारः’

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle/निषेध)

• syuḥ: would be; should be
• syuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• khaṇḍita-sampadaḥ: with broken/ruined prosperity
• khaṇḍita-sampadaḥ: Visheshana (Adjective modifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: khaṇḍita (कृदन्त; खण्ड् धातु) + sampad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; ‘खण्डिता सम्पद् यस्य/येषाम्’ इति विशेषणरूपेण (niyamakartāraḥ)

• taṇḍulasya: of rice grains
• taṇḍulasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taṇḍula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; ‘तण्डुलस्य’ = ‘of rice’

• aṣṭa-muṣṭīnām: of eight handfuls
• aṣṭa-muṣṭīnām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + muṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठī), बहुवचन; ‘अष्टसंख्यकानां मुष्टीनाम्’

• varjayitvā: having excluded
• varjayitvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛj/varj (धातु) → varjayitvā (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/त्वा), अव्ययभावः; ‘वर्जयित्वा’ = ‘having excluded’

• aṅguli-dvayam: two fingers’ measure / two fingers
• aṅguli-dvayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅguli (प्रातिपदिक) + dvi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘द्व्यङ्गुल-परिमाणम्’/‘द्वे अङ्गुली’ इत्यर्थे; वर्जनस्य कर्म

Speaker

Lord Viṣṇu (in dialogue with Garuḍa/Vinatā-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ritual integrity depends on competent, properly situated officiants and precise observance of prescribed measures.

Vedantic Theme: Discipline (niyama) steadies the mind; outer exactness supports inner recollection (smṛti) and sincerity.

Application: Choose reliable assistants/overseers for a rite; follow stated quantities and avoid improvisation that breaks the rule-structure.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana ritual-vidhi passages: emphasis on śuddhi, māna (measure), and adhikāra (fitness)

FAQs

What is the importance of correct measurement (māna) in Garuda Purana rituals?

This verse stresses that offerings must follow precise traditional measures (here, rice quantified as eight handfuls with a specific exclusion), because ritual efficacy is tied to correct procedure.

How does this verse relate to Garuda Purana death rituals like śrāddha or piṇḍa-dāna?

It provides procedural detail—who should oversee the rules and how much rice is used—supporting the broader Garuda Purana emphasis on disciplined performance of post-death rites.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use trustworthy, competent guidance for important rites and follow agreed traditional measurements carefully, avoiding careless improvisation in sacred observances.