Shloka 22

Gayā-kṣetra and Phalgu Tīrtha: Sites, Rites, and the Liberation of the Pitṛs

Devanagari script

पृथिव्यां यानि तीर्थानी ये समुद्राः सरांसि च / फल्गुतीर्थं गमिष्यन्ति वारमेकं दिनेदिने

Transliteration

pṛthivyāṃ yāni tīrthānī ye samudrāḥ sarāṃsi ca / phalgutīrthaṃ gamiṣyanti vāramekaṃ dinedine

Translation

All the sacred fords on earth—along with the oceans and the lakes—go each day, once, to Phalgu Tīrtha.

Word by Word

• पृथिव्याम्: on earth
• पृथिव्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• यानि: which
• यानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• तीर्थानि: pilgrimage places
• तीर्थानि: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• ये: which
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• समुद्राः: oceans
• समुद्राः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• सरांसि: lakes
• सरांसि: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

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

• फल्गुतीर्थम्: Phalgu-tirtha
• फल्गुतीर्थम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल्गु-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; फल्गु + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• गमिष्यन्ति: will go
• गमिष्यन्ति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future/भविष्यत्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• वारम्: a time (occasion)
• वारम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणार्थे (adverbial accusative)

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक विशेषण (qualifying वारम्)

• दिने: in a day
• दिने: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• दिने: day by day
• दिने: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (reduplication for distributive sense)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Tīrtha-mahātmyā: sacred geography concentrates merit; certain places function as nodal points for ritual efficacy.

Vedantic Theme: Sacred space as upāya within karma-kāṇḍa; the ‘one’ that contains the ‘many’ as a devotional-cosmological motif.

Application: Prioritize pilgrimage/ritual at highly extolled tīrthas when possible; otherwise emulate tīrtha virtues—purity, restraint, charity—daily.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: tirtha (sacred ford)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Gayā-māhātmya and Phalgu-tīrtha praise in adjacent verses; Garuda Purana śrāddha sections emphasizing Gayā/Phalgu efficacy

Characters & Entities

• Phalgu Tirtha

FAQs

What is the importance of Phalgu Tirtha in Garuda Purana?

This verse elevates Phalgu Tīrtha as uniquely potent, stating that all other tīrthas (and even oceans and lakes) symbolically ‘converge’ there daily—implying exceptional sanctity for rites and pilgrimage.

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

In the Preta-focused context, it supports the idea that specific tīrthas (notably Phalgu/Gayā) are especially efficacious for post-death rituals like śrāddha and piṇḍa-dāna, which are taught as aids to the departed’s welfare.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

It encourages prioritizing sincere tīrtha-related observances—especially ancestral rites at renowned places like Phalgu/Gayā—while also valuing the principle that sacredness is amplified by disciplined, regular practice (“day after day”).