Shloka 3

Nārāyaṇa-Smaraṇa as the Supreme Dharma, Expiation, and Yogic Purifier

Devanagari script

षष्टिस्तीर्थसहस्राणि षष्टिस्तीर्थशतानि च / नारायणप्रणामस्य कलां नार्हन्ति षोडशीम्

Transliteration

ṣaṣṭistīrthasahasrāṇi ṣaṣṭistīrthaśatāni ca / nārāyaṇapraṇāmasya kalāṃ nārhanti ṣoḍaśīm

Translation

Even sixty thousand sacred pilgrimage sites, and sixty hundreds of such holy places besides, do not equal even one sixteenth part of the merit obtained by bowing in reverence to Nārāyaṇa.

Word by Word

• षष्टिः: sixty
• षष्टिः: Visheshana (Numeral qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (संख्याशब्द), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (सहस्राणि/शतानि)

• तीर्थसहस्राणि: thousands of pilgrimages
• तीर्थसहस्राणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तीर्थाणां सहस्राणि)

• षष्टिः: sixty
• षष्टिः: Visheshana (Numeral qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (संख्याशब्द), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (शतानि)

• तीर्थशतानि: hundreds of pilgrimages
• तीर्थशतानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ + शत (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तीर्थाणां शतानि)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• नारायणप्रणामस्य: of the salutation to Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणप्रणामस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण + प्रणाम (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नारायणस्य प्रणामः)

• कलाम्: a fraction/part
• कलाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• अर्हन्ति: are worthy of/amount to
• अर्हन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• षोडशीम्: sixteenth
• षोडशीम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (कलाम्)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (Narayana) speaking to Garuda (Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Nārāyaṇa-pranāma (reverential surrender) yields merit surpassing extensive pilgrimage; devotion concentrates and transcends dispersed ritual merit.

Vedantic Theme: Īśvara-prapatti and nāma-rūpa-upāsanā as potent, accessible means; the Lord as the true tīrtha (inner purifier).

Application: Cultivate daily pranāma and remembrance (morning/evening); when traveling to holy places, anchor the journey in devotion rather than merit-counting.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: pilgrimage-sites

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.230.2; Garuda Purana 1.229.8; Garuda Purana 1.230.1

Characters & Entities

• Narayana
• Tirthas

FAQs

What is the importance of Nārāyaṇa-prāṇāma in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that a single sincere salutation to Nārāyaṇa yields merit surpassing even vast numbers of tīrtha-pilgrimages, emphasizing bhakti as a supreme purifier.

How does this verse relate to the soul’s journey and after-death concerns in the Garuda Purana?

By elevating remembrance and reverence of Nārāyaṇa above external pilgrimages, the verse supports the Purana’s broader theme that inner devotion and divine refuge aid purification and steadiness at death and beyond.

What is a practical application of this teaching today?

Maintain a daily practice of respectful salutations (prāṇāma) and remembrance of Nārāyaṇa—especially during illness, grief, or śrāddha contexts—treating devotion as accessible spiritual discipline even without travel.