Shloka 37
Praise of Vṛṣotsarga (Bull-release), Worthy Dāna, and the Procedure for Kṣayāha & Ūrdhva-daihika Rites
मूल्यं दद्याद् वृषस्यापि तं वृषं च विसर्जयेत् / एकोद्दिष्टविधानेन स्वाहाकारेण वुद्धिमान्
mūlyaṃ dadyād vṛṣasyāpi taṃ vṛṣaṃ ca visarjayet / ekoddiṣṭavidhānena svāhākāreṇa vuddhimān
वृषभ का भी उचित मूल्य दे, और फिर उस वृषभ को मुक्त कर दे। बुद्धिमान व्यक्ति ‘एकोद्दिष्ट’ विधान के अनुसार ‘स्वाहा’ उच्चारण सहित यह कर्म सम्पन्न करे।
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinatā-putra)
Ritual Type: Ekoddishta
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: Within Ekoddiṣṭa śrāddha performance (pre-sapīṇḍīkaraṇa period)
Concept: Dāna must be righteous and non-exploitative: even a released bull’s ‘price’ is to be duly paid; Ekoddiṣṭa śrāddha is sealed by svāhā.
Vedantic Theme: Niṣkāma-karma orientation: ethical action and proper offering purify intention; ritual speech-act (‘svāhā’) marks surrender of agency.
Application: Do not treat ritual animals as costless instruments—pay fair value; then perform vṛṣotsarga according to Ekoddiṣṭa procedure, concluding with svāhā.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: dāna-sthāna/ritual release ground near household or village boundary
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.14.38 (post-death day rites); Garuda Purana śrāddha sections on Ekoddiṣṭa and sapīṇḍīkaraṇa sequencing
FAQs
This verse treats Ekoddiṣṭa as a precise, rule-bound rite for a specific departed person, to be done with proper mantric formula (“svāhā”) and correct ritual acts such as sanctioned gifting/releasing.
By emphasizing correct śrāddha procedure, it implies that orderly, dharmic rites performed for the deceased support the preta’s post-death transition and connection with the Pitṛs, rather than being casual or incomplete acts.
Perform ancestral rites ethically: give what is due (no deception in donations), follow the prescribed method for śrāddha, and keep the intention pure—dharma in means is as important as the ritual itself.