Shloka 75

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

Devanagari script

दक्षिणाग्रहस्तयोस्तु कृत्वाथ सतिलं जलम् / आदायाञ्जलिना याम्यां दुः खी पैतृकतीर्थतः

Transliteration

dakṣiṇāgrahastayostu kṛtvātha satilaṃ jalam / ādāyāñjalinā yāmyāṃ duḥ khī paitṛkatīrthataḥ

Translation

Then, placing the offering into the right hand and holding it properly, he takes water mixed with sesame in a cupped palm (añjali); the afflicted departed one proceeds southward, away from the ancestral sacred ford (paitṛka-tīrtha), toward Yama’s direction.

Word by Word

• दक्षिणाग्रहस्तयोः: of the two right hands (i.e., with both right hands)
• दक्षिणाग्रहस्तयोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण-अग्र-हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: दक्षिणस्य अग्रः हस्तः (right hand’s front/hand); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), द्विवचन (Dual)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषण अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• कृत्वा: having done/made
• कृत्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund/absolutive)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक अव्यय (then/now)

• सतिलम्: with sesame (seeds)
• सतिलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of जलम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-तिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: तिलैः सह (with sesame); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• आदाय: having taken
• आदाय: Kriya-viseshana (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund/absolutive)

• अञ्जलिना: with cupped hands (añjali)
• अञ्जलिना: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अञ्जलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• याम्याम्: towards the southern direction
• याम्याम्: Karma/Adhikarana (Direction as object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: याम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); (दिशम्) अनुवर्तते

• दुःखी: sorrowful
• दुःखी: Visheshana (Qualifier of implied agent)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःखिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पैतृकतीर्थतः: from the ancestral sacred spot
• पैतृकतीर्थतः: Apadana (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पैतृक-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: पितॄणां तीर्थम् (ancestral sacred place); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Immediately after bath and preparation; part of udaka/tarpaṇa sequence in funeral-related rites.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Tila-jala offerings and correct hand/añjali procedure support the departed’s transition; ritual acts interface with the soul’s journey.

Vedantic Theme: Karma and saṃskāra shape post-mortem passage; compassion expressed through prescribed action rather than mere emotion.

Application: Perform offerings with precision (tila + water, right-hand protocol, directionality); treat rites as supportive care for the departed.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: tirtha

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: Yama’s southern direction and the soul’s onward movement (broader Pretakalpa narrative); Garuda Purana 2.4.76: repeated casting of offerings

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Pitris

FAQs

What is the importance of sesame-water (tila-jala) in Garuda Purana rituals?

This verse highlights satila jala taken in anjali as a key ancestral offering; sesame-water is a standard śrāddha/tarpaṇa substance believed to support and steady the departed during the preta state.

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

It links ritual action (taking sesame-water in a cupped palm) with directional movement: the departed, described as duḥkhī, proceeds toward the southern (Yama-associated) quarter, indicating the Yama-mārga framework of the Preta Kanda.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform ancestral rites with correct substances and intention—especially tila-jala offerings—remembering that disciplined ritual (and ethical living) is presented as a form of support for one’s lineage and the departed.