Shloka 17

Pavitrāropaṇa-vidhi

Rite of Investing Hari with the Pavitra

Devanagari script

हृन्नाभिरू(रु) रुमाने च जानुभ्यामवलम्बिनी / अष्टोत्तरसहस्रेण चत्वारो ग्रन्थयः स्मृताः

Transliteration

hṛnnābhirū(ru) rumāne ca jānubhyāmavalambinī / aṣṭottarasahasreṇa catvāro granthayaḥ smṛtāḥ

Translation

Between the heart and the navel, in the region of the thighs, and hanging down toward the knees—these are said to be four principal knots (granthi), numbering one thousand and eight in total.

Word by Word

• हृत्: heart
• हृत्: Sambandha (Compound member/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृत्/हृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप; समासपूर्वपद

• नाभि: navel
• नाभि: Sambandha (Compound member/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाभि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (प्रयोगभेद), प्रातिपदिक-रूप; समासपूर्वपद

• ऊरुमाने: in the thigh-measure
• ऊरुमाने: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऊरु (प्रातिपदिक) + मान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (ऊरोः मानम्)

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

• जानुभ्याम्: by/with the two knees
• जानुभ्याम्: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जानु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), द्विवचन

• अवलम्बिनी: hanging down/depending
• अवलम्बिनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव+लम्ब् (धातु) + इनी (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त; वर्तमानकृदन्त-स्वरूप (agentive feminine); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• अष्टोत्तरसहस्रेण: by one thousand and eight (1008)
• अष्टोत्तरसहस्रेण: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्ट (संख्या) + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सहस्रं अष्टोत्तरम् = 1008)

• चत्वारः: four
• चत्वारः: Visheshana (Numeral qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• ग्रन्थयः: knots
• ग्रन्थयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्रन्थि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• स्मृताः: are said/are prescribed
• स्मृताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in dialogue teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ritual objects mirror bodily order; correct placement/counting of granthis is part of sanctifying discipline.

Vedantic Theme: Piṇḍa–brahmāṇḍa correspondence as a ritual intuition; ordered action cultivates inner order.

Application: When constructing/using the pavitraka, recognize four principal knot-zones (heart–navel, thighs, knee-hanging region) and adhere to the stated total count (1008) as per the manual’s system.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: body-based ritual mapping

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.43 (granthi enumeration; continuation of pavitraka specifications)

FAQs

What is the importance of granthis (knots) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse treats granthis as key junction-points in the body’s subtle network; understanding them supports the text’s larger explanation of how prāṇa and the jīva move through channels, especially relevant to death and post-death transition.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By mapping specific bodily regions and “knots,” it frames the soul’s departure as occurring through an organized subtle anatomy (nāḍī–granthi structure), which the Garuda Purana uses to explain how movement after death is conditioned and directed.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Use it as a contemplative reminder of disciplined living—breath regulation, ethical restraint, and steady mind—since the tradition links inner clarity and prāṇic order with a calmer end-of-life transition.