Shloka 13

Gayā-kṣetra and Phalgu Tīrtha: Sites, Rites, and the Liberation of the Pitṛs

Devanagari script

सरस्वतीं च सायाह्ने दृष्ट्वा दानफलं लभेत् / नगस्थमीश्वरं दृष्ट्वा पितॄणामनृणो भवेत्

Transliteration

sarasvatīṃ ca sāyāhne dṛṣṭvā dānaphalaṃ labhet / nagasthamīśvaraṃ dṛṣṭvā pitṝṇāmanṛṇo bhavet

Translation

En contemplant Sarasvatī le soir, on obtient le fruit de la charité. En contemplant le Seigneur qui demeure sur la montagne, on devient quitte de toute dette envers les Pitṛs, les ancêtres.

Word by Word

• सरस्वतीम्: Sarasvatī
• सरस्वतीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

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

• सायाह्ने: in the evening
• सायाह्ने: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सायाह्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular (time)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund); having seen

• दानफलम्: the fruit of giving (charity)
• दानफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: दानस्य फलम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• लभेत्: may obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; may obtain

• नगस्थम्: mountain-dwelling / situated on a mountain
• नगस्थम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नग (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √स्था)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष: नगस्थः = नग-स्थः ‘situated on a mountain’); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; qualifying ईश्वरम्

• ईश्वरम्: the Lord (Īśvara)
• ईश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund); having seen

• पितॄणाम्: of the ancestors
• पितॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• अनृणः: free from debt/obligation
• अनृणः: Karta-pradhana (Subject complement/कर्तृपूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनृण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular; predicate adjective

• भवेत्: may become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; may become

Speaker

Lord Viṣṇu (in discourse to Garuḍa/Vinatā-putra)

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: sāyāhna (evening) implied for Sarasvatī-darśana; pitṛ-ṛṇa context suggests ancillary pitṛ-tarpaṇa/śrāddha intent

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Tīrtha-darśana and deva-darśana generate dāna-phala and remove pitṛ-ṛṇa, reinforcing the triad of debts (ṛṣi, deva, pitṛ).

Vedantic Theme: Dharma as harmonizing cosmic obligations; purification of saṃskāra through sacred contact and remembrance.

Application: Incorporate evening remembrance: charity (time/resources), gratitude to lineage, and periodic pilgrimage/temple visits with intent for pitṛ-tarpaṇa.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: tīrtha (river) and kṣetra (mountain shrine)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: pitṛ-ṛṇa and śrāddha importance; tīrtha-darśana as merit-multiplier

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Īśvara
• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the importance of Sarasvatī darśana at dusk in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that seeing Sarasvatī in the evening grants the same merit as performing dāna (charitable giving), highlighting tīrtha-darśana as a direct source of puṇya.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in relation to ancestors (Pitṛs)?

It emphasizes Pitṛ-ṛṇa (ancestral obligation): by obtaining darśana of the mountain-abiding Lord, one becomes anṛṇa—released from ancestral debt—supporting the broader Garuda Purana theme that dharmic acts aid one’s unseen obligations and post-death welfare.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Honor ancestral duties (e.g., śrāddha/tarpaṇa when appropriate) and cultivate regular devotion and pilgrimage-mindedness; the verse frames sincere darśana and reverence for sacred places as ethically transformative and spiritually meritorious.