Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 31

Akālamṛtyu: Preta-state Categories and the Nārāyaṇa-bali / Ekoddiṣṭa Remedy

Devanagari script

विप्रानावाहयेत्पञ्च चतुर्वेदविशारदान् / विद्याशीलगुणोपेतान्स्व कीयाञ्छीलसत्तमान् / अब्यङ्गान्सप्रशस्तांश्च न त् वर्ज्यान्कदाचन

Transliteration

viprānāvāhayetpañca caturvedaviśāradān / vidyāśīlaguṇopetānsva kīyāñchīlasattamān / abyaṅgānsapraśastāṃśca na t varjyānkadācana

Translation

四ヴェーダに通暁し、学徳と品行と諸徳を備えたブラーフマナを五人招くべきである。とりわけ、自家の縁ある者で、敬うべき、最上の品性をもつブラーフマナが望ましい。このように資格を具え称賛に値する人々を、これらの儀礼において決して退けてはならない。

Word by Word

• viprān: Brahmins
• viprān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (विप्र)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural

• āvāhayet: Should invite/invoke
• āvāhayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-vah (आ-वह्)
• Form: Causal, Vidhilin (Optative), Parasmaipada, Prathama Purusha, Singular

• pañca: Five
• pañca: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañcan (पञ्चन्)
• Form: Numeral, Accusative, Plural

• caturveda-viśāradān: Experts in the four Vedas
• caturveda-viśāradān: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturveda-viśārada (चतुर्वेदविशारद)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural. (Saptami Tatpurusha: Skilled in four Vedas)

• vidyā-śīla-guṇa-upetān: Endowed with knowledge, character, and virtues
• vidyā-śīla-guṇa-upetān: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vidyā-śīla-guṇa-upeta (विद्याशीलगुणोपेत)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural. (Tritiya Tatpurusha: Endowed with knowledge, character, and virtue)

• svakīyān: One's own (kinsmen/people)
• svakīyān: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svakīya (स्वकीय)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• śīla-sattamān: Best in conduct/character
• śīla-sattamān: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śīla-sattama (शीलसत्तम)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural. (Best in character)

• avyaṅgān: Without deformity/limblessness
• avyaṅgān: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: avyaṅga (अव्यङ्ग)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural. (Nai-Bahuvrihi: Having no deformed limbs)

• sapraśastān: Praiseworthy/Excellent
• sapraśastān: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sapraśasta (सप्रशस्त)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural. (Or Karmadharaya with 'sa' as intensifier)

• ca: And
• ca: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (च)
• Form: Conjunction

• na: Not
• na: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (न)
• Form: Negative Particle

• tu: But/Indeed
• tu: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (तु)
• Form: Particle

• varjyān: To be excluded/rejected
• varjyān: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛj (वृज्)
• Form: Gerundive (Nyat pratyaya), Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• kadācana: Ever/At any time
• kadācana: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadācana (कदाचन)
• Form: Adverb of time

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Ekoddishta

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: During śrāddha preparation: invitation (āvāhana) of five qualified brāhmaṇas for the rite/feeding.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Adhikāra and pātratā: invite brāhmaṇas who are Veda-versed and of good conduct; honoring the worthy sustains ritual efficacy and social dharma.

Vedantic Theme: Sattva and śuddhi as prerequisites for effective karma; respect for śāstra-vidyā and sadācāra as supports for spiritual culture.

Application: Choose officiants/recipients based on competence and integrity; prioritize those known for good conduct; avoid arbitrary exclusion of qualified persons.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Geographic Context

Type: household/community ritual venue

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.40: śrāddha pātra-lakṣaṇa (qualities of invitees), brāhmaṇa-bhojana norms

Characters & Entities

• Brahmanas
• Vedas
• Shraddha

FAQs

Why does this verse emphasize inviting five learned brāhmaṇas?

It sets a ritual standard for śrāddha: inviting a specific number of highly qualified, Veda-knowing brāhmaṇas to ensure the rite is performed with purity, correctness, and dharmic integrity.

Does the verse describe the soul’s journey after death?

Indirectly: it focuses on the correct performance of śrāddha, which the Garuḍa Purāṇa presents as supportive to the departed and beneficial for orderly post-death rites rather than narrating the journey itself in this line.

What is a practical application of this teaching today?

For any ancestral rite, prioritize integrity and competence—choose officiants known for learning and good conduct, and avoid treating ritual selection as merely social or transactional.