Shloka 48

Pitṛ-Stuti, Tarpaṇa, and the Ritual Power of Recitation in Śrāddha

Devanagari script

एकत्रिंशत्पितृगणा यैर्व्याप्तमखिलं जगत् / त एवात्र पितृगणास्तुष्यन्तु च मदाहितात्

Transliteration

ekatriṃśatpitṛgaṇā yairvyāptamakhilaṃ jagat / ta evātra pitṛgaṇāstuṣyantu ca madāhitāt

Translation

May those thirty-one classes of Pitṛs—by whom this entire universe is pervaded—be satisfied here, through this offering made by me.

Word by Word

• एकत्रिंशत्: thirty-one
• एकत्रिंशत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकत्रिंशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (पितृगणाः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• पितृगणाः: groups of ancestors (Pitṛs)
• पितृगणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पितॄणां गणाः)

• यैः: by whom
• यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• व्याप्तम्: pervaded
• व्याप्तम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्याप् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्) → व्याप्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (pervaded)

• अखिलम्: entire
• अखिलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अखिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (जगत् इत्यस्य)

• जगत्: world
• जगत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• पितृगणाः: the ancestor-groups
• पितृगणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पितॄणां गणाः)

• तुष्यन्तु: may (they) be pleased
• तुष्यन्तु: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तुष् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative/benedictive sense), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

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

• मदाहितात्: from what has been offered by me
• मदाहितात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + आहित (प्रातिपदिक; आ + धा (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मया आहितात्/मम आहितात्)

Speaker

Ritual reciter (the performer of Pitṛ-tarpaṇa / śrāddha), within the Vishnu–Garuda teaching context

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Offerings made with agency (‘mad-āhitāt’) can satisfy the pervasive Pitṛ collectivity; ritual action links microcosm (individual act) to macrocosm (universal pervasion).

Vedantic Theme: Interconnectedness under ṛta/dharma: the unseen network of recipients and results; intention (saṅkalpa) as a subtle causal factor in karma-phala.

Application: Perform ancestral offerings with clear saṅkalpa and humility; include a universal dedication—‘may all Pitṛs be satisfied’—especially when lineage details are unknown.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.89 (Pitṛ-gaṇa enumeration and satisfaction through offerings)

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the importance of Pitṛ-tarpaṇa in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames tarpaṇa as a direct act of satisfaction for the Pitṛ-hosts, treating the offering as a dharmic duty that supports ancestral contentment and continuity.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By emphasizing appeasement of the Pitṛs, it reflects the Garuda Purana’s broader teaching that post-death welfare and familial spiritual obligations are linked through prescribed rites like śrāddha and tarpaṇa.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform śrāddha/tarpaṇa with sincerity—offering water/oblations with clear intention of honoring ancestors—while living ethically so that ritual is supported by conduct (ācāra).