Shloka 11

Nītisāra: Virtuous Association, Household Dharma, and Kāla (Time) as the Supreme Regulator

Devanagari script

राजर्षिब्राह्मणैः कार्यं देवविप्रादिपूजनम् / अश्वमेधेन यष्टब्यं महापातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

rājarṣibrāhmaṇaiḥ kāryaṃ devaviprādipūjanam / aśvamedhena yaṣṭabyaṃ mahāpātakanāśanam

Translation

Pour les rois-sages et les brāhmaṇas, il convient d’accomplir le culte des Devas et l’hommage aux brāhmaṇas et autres vénérables. Et l’on doit entreprendre le sacrifice de l’Aśvamedha, qui détruit les grands péchés (mahāpātaka).

Word by Word

• राजर्षिब्राह्मणैः: by royal sages and Brahmins
• राजर्षिब्राह्मणैः: Kartr-karana (Agent/instrumental of doer/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजर्षि (प्रातिपदिक) + ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (by royal sages and Brahmins)

• कार्यम्: to be done
• कार्यम्: Vidheyam (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक; कृ-धातोः यत्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be done)

• देवविप्रादिपूजनम्: worship of gods and Brahmins etc.
• देवविप्रादिपूजनम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition to kāryam/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + विप्र (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + पूजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समाहार/तत्पुरुष (worship of gods, Brahmins, etc.)

• अश्वमेधेन: by the Aśvamedha sacrifice
• अश्वमेधेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व (प्रातिपदिक) + मेध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (horse-sacrifice)

• यष्टब्यम्: should be performed (as sacrifice)
• यष्टब्यम्: Vidheyam (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यज् (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Gerundive/Future passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘यष्टव्यम्’ = should be sacrificed/performed

• महापातकनाशनम्: destroying great sins
• महापातकनाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + पातक (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (destroyer of great sins)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Deva- and vipra-pūjā are obligatory for rājārṣis and brāhmaṇas; Aśvamedha is praised as a destroyer of mahāpātakas.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-kāṇḍa as purifier (citta-śuddhi) and merit-generator; social-sacral reciprocity (deva–vipra–rāja) sustaining loka-saṅgraha.

Application: Honor teachers and sacred institutions; support learned communities; practice sincere expiation and restitution for wrongdoing (adapted to non-violent, lawful means today).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Geographic Context

Type: ritual arena

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: śrāddha and dharma sections emphasizing brāhmaṇa-satkara and ritual merit

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Vipras (Brāhmaṇas)
• Rājarṣis
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the importance of Deva and brāhmaṇa worship in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents it as a primary dharmic duty for rājarṣis and brāhmaṇas—honouring Devas and worthy spiritual recipients is treated as a direct means of sustaining dharma and accruing purifying merit.

How does this verse relate to the Garuda Purana’s teaching on sin and purification?

It frames yajña—specifically the Aśvamedha—and reverential worship as prāyaścitta-oriented actions, describing them as capable of destroying mahāpātakas (major sins) within the text’s dharma-ritual framework.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Even when grand Vedic rites are not feasible, the principle remains: cultivate purification through sincere worship, service to the divine, and respectful support of learned and ethical spiritual communities.