Shloka 4

Tarpaṇa-vidhi (Rite of Water-libations) for Devas and Pitṛs

Devanagari script

प्राचीनावीती / ॐ अग्निष्वात्ताः पितरस्तृप्यन्ताम् / ॐ सोमपाः पितरस्तृप्यन्ताम् / ॐ बर्हिषदः पितरस्तृप्यन्ताम् / यमाय नमः / धर्मराजाय नमः / मृत्यवे नमः / अन्तकाय नमः / वैवस्वताय नमः / कालाय नमः / सर्वभूतक्षयाय नमः / औदुम्बराय नमः! दध्नाय नमः / नीलाय नमः / परमेष्ठिने नमः / वृकोदराय नमः / चित्राय नमः / चित्रगुप्ताय नमः

Transliteration

prācīnāvītī / oṃ agniṣvāttāḥ pitarastṛpyantām / oṃ somapāḥ pitarastṛpyantām / oṃ barhiṣadaḥ pitarastṛpyantām / yamāya namaḥ / dharmarājāya namaḥ / mṛtyave namaḥ / antakāya namaḥ / vaivasvatāya namaḥ / kālāya namaḥ / sarvabhūtakṣayāya namaḥ / audumbarāya namaḥ! dadhnāya namaḥ / nīlāya namaḥ / parameṣṭhine namaḥ / vṛkodarāya namaḥ / citrāya namaḥ / citraguptāya namaḥ

Translation

Wearing the sacred thread in the ancestral manner (prācīnāvītī): “May the Agniṣvātta Pitṛs be satisfied. May the Somapā Pitṛs be satisfied. May the Barhiṣad Pitṛs be satisfied.” Salutations to Yama; salutations to Dharmarāja; salutations to Death; salutations to Antaka (the Ender); salutations to Vaivasvata; salutations to Kāla (Time); salutations to the Destroyer of all beings; salutations to Audumbara; salutations to Dadhna; salutations to Nīla; salutations to Parameṣṭhin; salutations to Vṛkodara; salutations to Citra; salutations to Citragupta.

Word by Word

• prācīnāvītī: Wearing thread on right shoulder (for ancestors)
• prācīnāvītī: Visheshana (Qualifier of performer)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prācīnāvītin
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• agniṣvāttāḥ: Consumed by fire (Class of Pitrs)
• agniṣvāttāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: agniṣvātta
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• pitaraḥ: Ancestors/Fathers
• pitaraḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• yamāya: To Yama
• yamāya: Sampradana (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• namaḥ: Salutation
• namaḥ: Action/Greeting
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas
• Form: Particle

• sarvabhūtakṣayāya: To the destroyer of all beings (Death)
• sarvabhūtakṣayāya: Sampradana (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarvabhūtakṣaya
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra, as ritual-mantra section)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Parvana

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: During pitṛ-tarpaṇa/śrāddha with prācīnāvītī; salutations to Yama and pitṛ-gaṇas accompany offerings.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Karma is audited and administered under Dharmarāja; honoring pitṛs and acknowledging death/time cultivates ethical vigilance.

Vedantic Theme: Impermanence (anityatā) and the inevitability of kāla; moral causality as a facet of cosmic order (ṛta/dharma).

Application: Use remembrance of death and accountability to restrain harmful actions; perform śrāddha with sincerity, not as mere formality.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: celestial-court

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: Yama’s court, messengers, judgment, and Citragupta’s ledger (multiple later sections)

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Agniṣvātta Pitṛs
• Somapā Pitṛs
• Barhiṣad Pitṛs
• Yama
• Dharmarāja
• Mṛtyu
• Antaka
• Vaivasvata
• Kāla
• Citragupta

FAQs

What is the importance of Pitṛ-tarpaṇa and prācīnāvītī in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames tarpaṇa as an act of satisfaction (tṛpti) for specific classes of Pitṛs, performed with the sacred thread in the ancestral mode (prācīnāvītī), indicating the rite is directed to ancestors and linked to śrāddha observances.

Why are Yama, Dharmarāja, Kāla, and Citragupta saluted together here?

The mantra acknowledges the moral-juridical order governing death and afterlife: Yama as ruler, Dharmarāja as judge, Kāla as time/death’s inevitability, and Citragupta as the keeper of karmic records—together representing accountability for actions.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

It encourages mindful ancestral offerings (gratitude and continuity) and ethical living (awareness of karmic accountability), aligning ritual practice with responsibility in daily conduct.