Shloka 110

Āśauca, Daśāha Piṇḍa-Rites, Vṛṣotsarga, Sāpiṇḍīkaraṇa, and the Yama-mārga

Path to Yama

Devanagari script

चतुर्थमासिकं श्राद्धं भुक्त्वा तत्र प्रसर्पति / स पतन्नेव विलपन्पाषाणाद्यतिपीडितः

Transliteration

caturthamāsikaṃ śrāddhaṃ bhuktvā tatra prasarpati / sa patanneva vilapanpāṣāṇādyatipīḍitaḥ

Translation

Having partaken of the śrāddha offering made in the fourth month, he crawls onward there; falling again and again, he wails, being severely tormented by stones and the like.

Word by Word

• चतुर्थमासिकम्: fourth-monthly
• चतुर्थमासिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्थ + मासिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (fourth-monthly)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• भुक्त्वा: having eaten
• भुक्त्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); पूर्वकालिक (having eaten)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (there)

• प्रसर्पति: crawls, creeps
• प्रसर्पति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + सृप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• स: he
• स: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पतन्: falling
• पतन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (falling)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (indeed/just)

• विलपन्: lamenting
• विलपन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + लप् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (lamenting)

• पाषाणादि: by stones and the like
• पाषाणादि: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाषाण + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; करणवाचक (by stones etc.)

• अतिपीडितः: severely tormented
• अतिपीडितः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अति + पीड् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (severely afflicted)

Speaker

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

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Fourth month after death (caturtha-māsika śrāddha)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ritual support can sustain but cannot fully counteract heavy papa; embodied actions in life determine the baseline of post-mortem experience.

Vedantic Theme: Karma’s priority over external aids; upakāra (help) has limits when prārabdha-like consequences mature.

Application: Do śrāddha faithfully for the departed; simultaneously emphasize ethical living and repentance so that aid is not the only support.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: mountain path/torment zone

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: caturtha-māsika śrāddha and its effect on the preta (2.5.110); Garuda Purana: recurring motif of ‘bhuktvā’ (having consumed the offering) followed by renewed travel/torment

Characters & Entities

• Preta
• Pitris
• Shraddha

FAQs

What is the importance of the fourth-month śrāddha in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that the departed (preta) partakes of the fourth-month śrāddha and continues the onward journey, indicating that periodic śrāddha offerings are considered supportive provisions during the difficult post-death passage.

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

It portrays the preta moving with great difficulty—crawling, repeatedly falling, and lamenting—while being tormented by harsh obstacles like stones, emphasizing the hardship of the intermediate journey and the role of rites in sustaining the traveler.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform prescribed śrāddha with care and sincerity, and live ethically to reduce suffering-causes; the verse underscores responsibility toward ancestors and the spiritual value placed on timely funerary observances.