Shloka 27

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मलोकं नयेच्छ्राद्धी पुरुषानेकविंशतिम् / ब्रह्मतीर्थे रामतीर्थे आग्नेये सोमतीर्थके

Transliteration

brahmalokaṃ nayecchrāddhī puruṣānekaviṃśatim / brahmatīrthe rāmatīrthe āgneye somatīrthake

Translation

By performing śrāddha (the ancestral rite) at Brahma-tīrtha, Rāma-tīrtha, Agneya-tīrtha, and Soma-tīrtha, the performer is said to lead twenty-one persons to Brahmaloka.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मलोकं: to Brahma-loka
• ब्रह्मलोकं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मलोक (प्रातिपदिक) = ब्रह्मन् + लोक
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (destination as object)

• नयेत्: should lead
• नयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• श्राद्धी: a performer of śrāddha
• श्राद्धी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्धिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘श्राद्धकर्ता’ (one who performs śrāddha)

• पुरुषान्: men/persons
• पुरुषान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; कर्म

• एकविंशतिम्: twenty-one
• एकविंशतिम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकविंशति (प्रातिपदिक, संख्या) = एक + विंशति
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (संख्याशब्द), द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘पुरुषान्’ इति विशेषण (numeral)

• ब्रह्मतीर्थे: at Brahma-tīrtha
• ब्रह्मतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मतीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) = ब्रह्मन् + तीर्थ
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• रामतीर्थे: at Rāma-tīrtha
• रामतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रामतीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) = राम + तीर्थ
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• आग्नेये: in the Agni quarter (southeast)
• आग्नेये: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आग्नेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; दिशावाचक विशेषण (in the south-east/Agni quarter)

• सोमतीर्थके: at Soma-tīrthaka
• सोमतीर्थके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमतीर्थक (प्रातिपदिक) = सोम + तीर्थक
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

Speaker

Lord Viṣṇu (speaking to Garuḍa)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Svarga

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Parvana

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: General tīrtha-śrāddha; especially effective on amāvāsyā/pitṛ-pakṣa (implied by śrāddha context).

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Pitṛ-ṛṇa is repaid through properly placed śrāddha; sacred place amplifies ritual efficacy (deśa-kāla-viśeṣa).

Vedantic Theme: Karma and adṛṣṭa: unseen merit generated by dharmic action; hierarchy of lokas culminating in Brahmaloka as high but still within saṁsāra.

Application: Perform śrāddha with śraddhā, correct mantras and brāhmaṇa-bhojana/dāna as appropriate; choose tīrtha and timing (amāvāsyā, pitṛ-pakṣa) to maximize intended pitṛ-benefit.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: tīrtha complex (multiple named for deities/directions)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: śrāddha-prakaraṇa passages on tīrtha-śrāddha and pitṛ-gati; Garuda Purana: pitṛ-ṛṇa and śrāddha-phala enumerations

Characters & Entities

• Brahmaloka
• Brahma-tīrtha
• Rāma-tīrtha
• Agneya-tīrtha
• Soma-tīrtha
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the importance of performing śrāddha at tīrthas in the Garuḍa Purāṇa?

This verse presents tīrtha-śrāddha as especially potent: performing śrāddha at specific sacred fords is said to generate merit strong enough to uplift multiple relatives toward higher realms.

How does this verse explain the soul’s post-death progress?

It links ritual merit (śrāddha done at powerful tīrthas) with improved post-mortem destiny, describing the result as ascent to Brahmaloka for a group connected to the performer.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

If one performs annual śrāddha, doing it with care—ideally at a recognized tīrtha or with tīrtha-water, proper faith (śraddhā), and charity—aligns with the text’s emphasis on strengthening ancestral support through dhārmic rites.