Shloka 20

Manasa Progenitors, Pitṛ Orders, Dakṣa’s Alliances, and the Dakṣa-Yajña Rupture

Devanagari script

पितृभ्यश्च स्वधा जज्ञे मेनां वैतरणीं तथा / ते उभे ब्रह्मवादिन्यौ मेनायां तु हिमाचलः

Transliteration

pitṛbhyaśca svadhā jajñe menāṃ vaitaraṇīṃ tathā / te ubhe brahmavādinyau menāyāṃ tu himācalaḥ

Translation

From the Pitṛs was born Svadhā, and likewise Menā and Vaitaraṇī. Both were knowers and expounders of Brahman; and from Menā was born Himācala, the Himalaya.

Word by Word

• पितृभ्यः: from the Pitṛs (ancestors)
• पितृभ्यः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी/चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (5th/4th case; here Ablative sense), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• स्वधा: Svadhā (the oblation to Pitṛs)
• स्वधा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वधा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st case), एकवचन

• जज्ञे: was born / arose
• जज्ञे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• मेनाम्: Menā
• मेनाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd case), एकवचन

• वैतरणीम्: Vaitaraṇī
• वैतरणीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैतरणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd case), एकवचन

• तथा: likewise / also
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• ते: those two (f.)
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st case), द्विवचन

• उभे: both
• उभे: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st case), द्विवचन; विशेषण

• ब्रह्मवादिन्यौ: speakers of Brahman / expounders of sacred knowledge (two women)
• ब्रह्मवादिन्यौ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्म + वादिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st case), द्विवचन; विशेषण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ब्रह्मणि वादिनी)

• मेनायाम्: in/with Menā
• मेनायाम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th case), एकवचन

• तु: but / indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• हिमाचलः: Himācala (the हिमालय mountain)
• हिमाचलः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिम + अचल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st case), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (हिमः अचलः)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Brahmavādinī lineage: even genealogical figures are framed as knowers/expounders of Brahman, implying sanctity of wisdom-transmission.

Vedantic Theme: Brahma-jñāna as the highest purifier and the hidden thread within creation narratives (jñāna embedded in sṛṣṭi).

Application: Honor pitṛ-lineage and teachers of Brahmavidyā; treat sacred geography (Himālaya) as a support for sādhana and study.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: mountain-range

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.5 (genealogical/cosmogonic sequence around Svāyambhuva Manu and progeny)

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Svadhā
• Menā
• Vaitaraṇī
• Himācala (Himalaya)

FAQs

What is the importance of Vaitaraṇī in the Garuda Purana?

This verse links Vaitaraṇī to the Pitṛ-lineage, reinforcing it as a sacredly grounded boundary-river in afterlife cosmology—central to discussions of Yama’s realm and the soul’s post-death passage.

How does this verse connect Pitṛs and death rituals like śrāddha?

By stating that Svadhā arose from the Pitṛs, the verse roots śrāddha’s ancestral offerings (svadhā) in the Pitṛ tradition, supporting the Purāṇic view that proper rites nourish and honor the ancestors.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Maintain reverence for ancestors through ethical living and, where culturally applicable, perform śrāddha/tarpaṇa with sincerity—treating ancestral remembrance as a discipline of gratitude and dharma.