Shloka 18

Āśauca and Udaka-kriyā: Post-Cremation Conduct, Eligibility, and Purifiers

Devanagari script

निवासराजनि तथा तदहः शुद्धिकार(ण)म् / हतानां नृपगोविप्रैरन्वक्षं चात्मघातिनाम्

Transliteration

nivāsarājani tathā tadahaḥ śuddhikāra(ṇa)m / hatānāṃ nṛpagoviprairanvakṣaṃ cātmaghātinām

Translation

Pour ceux qui ont été tués par un roi, par une vache ou par un brāhmaṇa, passer la nuit dans ce lieu de demeure—et aussi le jour suivant—sert de moyen de purification. Et pour ceux qui se donnent la mort, une purification est prescrite jusqu’au lendemain (anvakṣa).

Word by Word

• निवासराजनि: in the case of a resident king (king of the place)
• निवासराजनि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निवास (प्रातिपदिक) + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (निवासे राजनि/राज्ञि)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारार्थक-अव्यय (thus/likewise)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (अहः)

• अहः: day
• अहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन्/अह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• शुद्धिकारणम्: cause/means of purification
• शुद्धिकारणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (शुद्धेः कारणम्)

• हतानाम्: of the slain (persons)
• हतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन् (धातु) + त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध (of those killed)

• नृप: by kings
• नृप: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन (समासपूर्वपद-समाहार)

• गो: by cows (i.e., by cow-related agents)
• गो: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (गो), तृतीया (3), बहुवचन (समासपूर्वपद-समाहार)

• विप्रैः: by brāhmaṇas
• विप्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• अन्वक्षम्: on the next day
• अन्वक्षम्: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्वक्षम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालार्थक (on the following day/next day)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• आत्मघातिनाम्: of self-killers (suicides)
• आत्मघातिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + घातिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (आत्मनः घातिनः)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Overnight in the dwelling and the following day; for self-killers up to the next day (anvakṣa)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: For deaths caused by king/cow/brāhmaṇa, the night in that dwelling and the following day serve as purification; for self-killers, purification extends up to the next day (anvakṣa).

Vedantic Theme: Dharma addresses social-ritual disruption from extraordinary deaths; acknowledges gravity of self-harm while prescribing a regulated response.

Application: In cases of violent/exceptional death, follow localized, time-specific purification (overnight + next day); treat suicide as a special case requiring careful adherence to prescribed śuddhi and guidance from tradition.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: dwelling/settlement

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.106 (exceptional deaths and śuddhi computations)

Characters & Entities

• Brahmana
• Cow (Go)
• King (Nripa)

FAQs

What is the importance of purification timing (night and following day) in Garuda Purana?

This verse states that a defined time-span—staying through the night and the next day—functions as a śuddhi-kāraṇa (purificatory measure) for specific death-related conditions.

How does this verse relate to consequences of unnatural death in Garuda Purana?

It distinguishes certain categories—being slain by a king/cow/brāhmaṇa and self-killing—and indicates that specific, rule-based purification periods apply, reflecting the text’s ritual-ethical framework around death.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

It encourages careful observance of dharmic purification protocols after death-related impurity and reinforces ethical restraint by highlighting the gravity of self-harm and transgressive circumstances of death.