Shloka 48

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

Path to Yama

Devanagari script

तृतीयां षोडशीं वच्मि वैनतेय शृणुष्व ताम् / द्वादश प्रतिमास्यानि आद्यं षाण्मासिकं तथा

Transliteration

tṛtīyāṃ ṣoḍaśīṃ vacmi vainateya śṛṇuṣva tām / dvādaśa pratimāsyāni ādyaṃ ṣāṇmāsikaṃ tathā

Translation

O Vainateya (Garuda), listen: I shall now describe the third—namely, the rite of the sixteenth day. Thereafter are to be observed the twelve monthly rites, beginning as well with the semi-annual observance.

Word by Word

• तृतीयाम्: the third (rite/day)
• तृतीयाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृतीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मपद (वच्मि)

• षोडशीम्: the sixteenth (rite/day)
• षोडशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षोडशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मपद (वच्मि)

• वच्मि: I speak; I will tell
• वच्मि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वैनतेय: O Vainateya (Garuda)
• वैनतेय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैनतेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (vocative), एकवचन

• शृणुष्व: listen
• शृणुष्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• ताम्: that (teaching)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम; कर्मपद (शृणुष्व)

• द्वादश: twelve
• द्वादश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या; विशेषण (प्रतिमास्यानि)

• प्रतिमास्यानि: monthly (rites), occurring each month
• प्रतिमास्यानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रति+मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (प्रति + मास्य) = ‘per month’ (अव्ययीभाव)

• आद्यम्: the first
• आद्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (षाण्मासिकम्)

• षाण्मासिकम्: the six-monthly (rite)
• षाण्मासिकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षाण्(षट्)+मासिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (षट्-मास) + इक-प्रत्यय; ‘six-monthly rite’

• तथा: also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थ (also/likewise)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Ekoddishta

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Sixteenth day; thereafter monthly observances including semi-annual (ṣāṇmāsika) and the series of twelve monthly rites.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Codification of śrāddha timings: third/sixteenth-day rite and subsequent monthly/half-yearly observances.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma as niyama (regulated duty): time-bound rites maintain ṛta and support the departed’s orderly passage.

Application: Follow the prescribed schedule: perform the rite on the sixteenth day (as taught here) and continue with monthly observances, including the semi-annual rite, as part of the post-death ritual cycle.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa 2.5 (enumeration of śrāddha timings: 11th/12th, 3rd/16th, monthly, semiannual, annual)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda (Vainateya)
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of the Ṣoḍaśī (16th-day) rite in the Garuda Purana?

This verse marks the Ṣoḍaśī as a key, named post-death observance in the ritual sequence, after which the continuing monthly rites are prescribed.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in terms of ritual support?

By laying out a timed sequence—16th-day observance followed by monthly rites—the text implies that ongoing offerings and śrāddha acts are meant to support the departed’s transitional state and continuity of ancestral duties.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Maintain disciplined remembrance and duty: follow an orderly schedule of memorial/ancestral rites (as per one’s tradition and guidance), using the calendar structure to cultivate responsibility, gratitude, and dharma.