Shloka 76

Śrāddha as Trans-realm Nourishment; Pitṛ-Conveyance; Piṇḍa-born Body and the ātivāhika; Bhakti-based Release

Devanagari script

स्थितिरग्र्यस्य पादस्य यदा जाता दृढा भवेत् / एवं देही पूर्वदेहं समुत्सृजति तं यदा

Transliteration

sthitiragryasya pādasya yadā jātā dṛḍhā bhavet / evaṃ dehī pūrvadehaṃ samutsṛjati taṃ yadā

Translation

മുൻപാദത്തിന്റെ നില ദൃഢമായി സ്ഥാപിതമാകുമ്പോൾ, അതേ സമയത്ത് ദേഹി മുൻദേഹം ഉപേക്ഷിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• स्थितिः: stability, standing firm
• स्थितिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अग्र्यस्य: of the foremost/front
• अग्र्यस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अग्र्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (पादस्य)

• पादस्य: of the foot
• पादस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kriyavisheshana (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (when)

• जाता: having arisen, having become
• जाता: Kriya-visheshana (Predicative participle/कृदन्त)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु) + जात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (स्थितिः) सह विशेषणभाव

• दृढा: firm
• दृढा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृढ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (स्थितिः)

• भवेत्: would be, should become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyavisheshana (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus)

• देही: the embodied being
• देही: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पूर्वदेहम्: the former body
• पूर्वदेहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (पूर्वः देहः)

• समुत्सृजति: abandons, casts off
• समुत्सृजति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+उत्√सृज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तम्: that (body)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kriyavisheshana (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (when)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Departure occurs only after the subtle ‘forward support’ is stabilized; the jīva relinquishes the former body at that moment.

Vedantic Theme: Distinction between gross body and the migrating subtle complex; causality and order in saṃsāric transition.

Application: Use the teaching to reduce fear: death is a process with stages; practice mindfulness and spiritual preparation so the mind stabilizes on a wholesome support.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa 2.10.75 (leech simile begins); Garuda Purana Pretakalpa 2.10.77-79 (vāyavīya body, prāṇa-driven motion, guṇas)

Characters & Entities

• Dehī (embodied soul/jīva)
• Pūrva-deha (former body)

FAQs

What is the importance of the “foremost foot becoming firm” in the Garuda Purana?

It indicates a decisive transition-point in the dying process: once that “chief step/footing” is firmly established, the jīva is said to cast off the previous (gross) body.

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

It marks the exact moment of separation—when the embodied being leaves the former body—serving as a threshold for the subsequent preta-state journey described in the Preta Kanda.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

It encourages awareness that death is a real transition of the self from the body; practitioners often respond by prioritizing dharma, remembrance of the divine, and timely performance of death-related rites for the departed.