Shloka 17

Pitṛ-Stuti, Tarpaṇa, and the Ritual Power of Recitation in Śrāddha

Devanagari script

नमस्ये ऽहं पितॄन्मर्त्यैरर्च्यन्ते भुवि ये सदा / श्राद्धेषु श्रद्धयाभीष्टलोकपुष्टिप्रदायिनः

Transliteration

namasye 'haṃ pitṝnmartyairarcyante bhuvi ye sadā / śrāddheṣu śraddhayābhīṣṭalokapuṣṭipradāyinaḥ

Translation

ನಾನು ಭುವಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮನುಷ್ಯರು ಸದಾ ಅರ್ಚಿಸುವ ಪಿತೃಗಳನ್ನು ನಮಸ್ಕರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ; ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರದ್ಧೆಯಿಂದ ಪೂಜಿಸಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಾಗ ಅವರು ಇಷ್ಟ ಲೋಕಗಳ ಪುಷ್ಟಿ ಹಾಗೂ ಕ್ಷೇಮವನ್ನು ನೀಡುತ್ತಾರೆ।

Word by Word

• नमस्ये: I bow
• नमस्ये: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक) + √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पितॄन्: the ancestors
• पितॄन्: Karman (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• मर्त्यैः: by mortals
• मर्त्यैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• अर्च्यन्ते: are worshipped
• अर्च्यन्ते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि (passive)

• भुवि: on earth
• भुवि: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• ये: who/whom
• ये: Karman (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• श्राद्धेषु: in śrāddha rites
• श्राद्धेषु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• अभीष्टलोकपुष्टिप्रदायिनः: givers of nourishment/benefit in the desired worlds
• अभीष्टलोकपुष्टिप्रदायिनः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभीष्ट (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + पुष्टिः (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदायिन् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √दा + णिनि)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष-समासः (अभीष्टस्य लोकस्य पुष्टिं प्रददाति इति); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘पितॄन्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (sense: those who grant)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda/Vinatā-putra)

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Parvana

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Śrāddha performed regularly/whenever prescribed (tithi-based; not specified)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Śraddhā in śrāddha makes the rite fruitful; Pitṛs reciprocate by granting loka-puṣṭi—sustenance, stability, and well-being aligned with one’s aims.

Vedantic Theme: Karma performed with right intention yields ordered results; faith (śraddhā) is the inner catalyst that connects action to subtle fruition.

Application: Perform ancestral rites or remembrance with genuine faith; integrate acts of feeding/charity and family responsibility to cultivate stability and well-being.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: human realm/householder setting

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana śrāddha-phala passages: nourishment, lineage support, and loka benefits; Garuda Purana instructions on śraddhā as essential to ritual success

Characters & Entities

• Pitris

FAQs

What is the importance of Pitṛs and śrāddha in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames Pitṛs as continual recipients of human honor, teaching that śrāddha performed with genuine faith is a dhārmic act that yields tangible benefits—support and nourishment connected with desired realms (lokas).

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

By emphasizing śrāddha and Pitṛ-satisfaction, the verse implies that post-death welfare is supported through ritual offerings and faith, linking the living’s rites to the deceased/ancestral condition and their sustenance across realms.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform śrāddha/tarpaṇa with sincerity and proper intent—treating ancestral remembrance as a disciplined duty—cultivating gratitude, continuity of family dharma, and mindful ritual observance.