Shloka 29

Upanayana Timing, Brahmacarya Rules, Ācamana & Sandhyā Observance

Devanagari script

सन्तर्पयेत्पितॄन्देवान्मांसक्षीरोदनादिभिः

Transliteration

santarpayetpitṝndevānmāṃsakṣīrodanādibhiḥ

Translation

One should duly satisfy the Pitṛs and the Devas with offerings such as meat, milk, cooked rice (odana), and similar foods.

Word by Word

• सन्तर्पयेत्: should satisfy/propitiate
• सन्तर्पयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + तृप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; causative sense ‘तर्पय-’

• पितṝन्: the ancestors
• पितṝन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), बहुवचन; कर्म

• देवान्: the gods
• देवान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), बहुवचन; कर्म

• मांसक्षीरोदनादिभिः: with meat, milk, rice-porridge, etc.
• मांसक्षीरोदनादिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मांस + क्षीर + ओदन + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (मांस-क्षीर-ओदन-आदि-समूहः); करण

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda)

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Santarpaṇa through food offerings—meat, milk, cooked rice, etc.—as a means of duly satisfying Devas and Pitṛs.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-kāṇḍa as regulated action: material acts offered with right intention become dharmic instruments rather than mere consumption.

Application: Offer food with reverence and restraint; align offerings with one’s tradition and ethical capacity, emphasizing sincerity and purity of intent.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: broader śrāddha/anna-dāna discussions where food offerings to Pitṛs are central (thematic)

Characters & Entities

• Pitris
• Devas

FAQs

What is the importance of satisfying the Pitṛs and Devas in the Garuda Purana?

This verse emphasizes that ritual nourishment (santarpana) offered to ancestors and deities is a key dharmic duty, supporting ancestral rites and maintaining sacred reciprocity between humans, Pitṛs, and Devas.

How does this verse relate to Garuda Purana death rituals and post-death rites?

It aligns with the Garuda Purana’s wider ritual framework where offerings and feeding (as part of śrāddha/tarpaṇa) are prescribed to benefit the departed line (Pitṛs) and to invoke divine sanction, reinforcing the correct performance of funerary observances.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform śrāddha/tarpaṇa with sincerity and appropriate offerings as per one’s tradition and capacity, focusing on reverence, purity, and charitable feeding—keeping the intent of honoring ancestors and upholding dharma.