Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 31
Vow-Fasting (Anaśana), Sannyāsa, Tīrtha-Death, and the Ethics of Dāna
पितुः शतगुणं दत्तं सहस्रं मातुरुच्यते / भगिन्या शतसाहस्रं सोदर्ये दत्तमक्षयम्
pituḥ śataguṇaṃ dattaṃ sahasraṃ māturucyate / bhaginyā śatasāhasraṃ sodarye dattamakṣayam
父に施す布施は百倍の果を結び、母に施す布施は千倍の果を結ぶと説かれる。姉妹への布施は十万倍の果を結ぶが、同腹の兄弟に与えるものは不滅であると宣言される。
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue instructing Garuda/Vainateya)
Concept: Dana to specific relations yields multiplied and even imperishable phala; generosity is a dharmic investment.
Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala-niyama (law of results) and vairagya through right use of wealth.
Application: Prioritize charitable support to parents and vulnerable kin; cultivate intentional giving rather than hoarding.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana, Preta-khanda/Preta-kalpa: dana-mahatmya passages around 2.36 (contextual continuity)
FAQs
This verse ranks the spiritual fruit of gifts made to close relatives, highlighting that dāna connected with family-duty (especially parents and siblings) is considered highly potent and, in some cases, ‘akṣaya’ (inexhaustible) in merit—supporting śrāddha-oriented dharma.
In the Preta Kanda context, meritorious acts like dāna and śrāddha are taught as supports for the departed and the living, strengthening dharma and generating punya that is understood to aid favorable post-death outcomes and ancestral satisfaction.
Prioritize caring support and charitable giving that honors parents and strengthens family responsibility; when doing śrāddha or memorial charity, treat it as a dharmic duty done with sincerity rather than mere formality.