Shloka 42

Dāna as Prāyaścitta; Deathbed Gifts; Antyeṣṭi Procedures; Nārāyaṇa-bali for Untimely Deaths

Devanagari script

परिधाप्याहते वस्त्रे चन्दनैः प्रोक्षयेत्तनुम् / ततो मृतस्य स्थाने वै एकोद्दिष्टं समाचरेत्

Transliteration

paridhāpyāhate vastre candanaiḥ prokṣayettanum / tato mṛtasya sthāne vai ekoddiṣṭaṃ samācaret

Translation

Having clothed the body in a fresh, unwashed garment, one should sprinkle it with sandalwater; thereafter, in the place of the deceased, one should duly perform the ekoddiṣṭa rite—the śrāddha offered to a single departed person.

Word by Word

• परिधाप्य: having clothed (him)
• परिधाप्य: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परि-धा (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त/अव्ययीभाव-भाव)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-समकक्षः ल्यपन्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); क्रियाविशेषण (having caused to put on)

• आहते: in/with (a) struck/used (i.e., washed/old)
• आहते: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आहत (प्रातिपदिक; √हन् धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे/स्त्रीलिङ्गे लोकेटिव?; अत्र: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचन (Locative singular) विशेषणम्

• वस्त्रे: in the cloth/garment
• वस्त्रे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• चन्दनैः: with sandal(-paste)
• चन्दनैः: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• प्रोक्षयेत्: should sprinkle
• प्रोक्षयेत्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-उक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तनुम्: the body
• तनुम्: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/क्रमवाचक अव्यय (then/thereafter)

• मृतस्य: of the deceased
• मृतस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत (प्रातिपदिक; √मृ धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• स्थाने: in the place
• स्थाने: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha-bodhaka (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• एकोद्दिष्टम्: the ekoddiṣṭa (rite)
• एकोद्दिष्टम्: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक + उद्दिष्ट (प्रातिपदिक; √दिश् धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः: एकस्य उद्दिष्टम् (ekoddiṣṭa-śrāddha)

• समाचरेत्: should perform
• समाचरेत्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda/Vainateya)

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Ekoddishta

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Immediately after body preparation; in the place associated with the deceased as part of early post-death observances

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Antyeṣṭi and ekoddiṣṭa as obligatory rites: purity, respect for the body, and directed offering to one departed person.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-kāṇḍa as purificatory duty (niyata-karma) supporting social and spiritual order; honoring the jīva’s transition without clinging to the body.

Application: Perform last-rites preliminaries with cleanliness and dignity: fresh cloth, sandalwater sprinkling, then ekoddiṣṭa at the deceased’s place with correct intention and procedure.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: ritual site

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa/Antyeṣṭi-śrāddha sections on ekoddiṣṭa and piṇḍa offerings (adjacent verses 2.4.43–46)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Garuda
• Preta

FAQs

What is the importance of ekoddiṣṭa śrāddha in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames ekoddiṣṭa as the immediate, single-dedicated rite done specifically for the deceased, marking a focused offering in their stead as part of proper post-death observance.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

By prescribing bodily preparation and an ekoddiṣṭa offering for the departed, it reflects the Purāṇic view that ritual support is given to the deceased in the transitional preta-context through correctly performed rites.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

It emphasizes careful, respectful funeral discipline—clean, appropriate clothing, sanctifying aspergation, and performing the prescribed memorial rite with sincerity and correctness.