Shloka 8

Devanagari script

शिलारूपेण चाव्यक्तास्तस्माद्देवमयी शिला / गया शिरश्छादयित्वा गुरुत्वादास्थिता शिला

Transliteration

śilārūpeṇa cāvyaktāstasmāddevamayī śilā / gayā śiraśchādayitvā gurutvādāsthitā śilā

Translation

Therefore, in an unmanifest form (avyakta) she became a stone—indeed, a stone filled with divine presence. Covering (the head) at Gayā, that stone remained fixed there because of its great weight.

Word by Word

• शिलारूपेण: in the form of a stone
• शिलारूपेण: करण (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिला + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (determinative: ‘stone-form’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental, 3rd), एकवचन

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

• अव्यक्ताः: unmanifest
• अव्यक्ताः: कर्ता-विशेषण (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव्यक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; (देवाः/आद्याः इत्यादीनां) विशेषणम्

• तस्मात्: from that
• तस्मात्: अपादान (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

• देवमयी: divine; consisting of gods
• देवमयी: कर्ता-विशेषण (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देव + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (determinative: ‘made of/consisting of gods’), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; शिला इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• शिला: stone/rock
• शिला: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• गया: Gayā (sacred place)
• गया: कर्ता (Subject/Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (स्थाननाम)

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन

• छादयित्वा: having covered
• छादयित्वा: पूर्वक्रिया (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √छाद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having done)

• गुरुत्वात्: due to heaviness
• गुरुत्वात्: हेतु/अपादान (Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरुत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थ (causal)

• आस्थिता: stood/was situated
• आस्थिता: कर्ता-विशेषण (Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + √स्था (धातु) → आस्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; शिला इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• शिला: stone/rock
• शिला: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Parvana

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: At Gayā tīrtha during pitṛ-kārya (implied by Gayā context)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Divine immanence in apparently inert forms (śilā) and the legitimacy of worship through consecrated matter at a tīrtha.

Vedantic Theme: Saguna-brahman accessible through pratimā/arcā; the unmanifest (avyakta) can be approached via manifest supports (ālambana).

Application: Treat tīrtha-śilās with reverence; practice arcana/tarpaṇa with the understanding that divinity can abide in material supports.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: tirtha

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana sections on Gayā-kṣetra māhātmya and śilā/viṣṇupāda traditions (contextual parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Gayā
• Śilā (divine stone)

FAQs

What is the importance of the divine stone (śilā) at Gayā in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents the Gayā-śilā as “devamayī”—divine in essence—firmly established at Gayā, indicating the site’s special sanctity for ancestral rites such as piṇḍa-dāna.

How does this verse connect Gayā to the journey of the departed (preta/pitṛ) in Garuda Purana teachings?

By emphasizing a divinely-established sacred marker at Gayā, the verse supports the broader Garuda Purana theme that specific tīrthas and prescribed rites aid the departed and the Pitṛs through ritual merit and spiritual support.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

If performing śrāddha or piṇḍa-dāna, treat the rite and place with reverence—prioritize sincerity, correct procedure, and remembrance of ancestors, as the text highlights the unique sanctity of Gayā for such observances.