Shloka 18

Vow-Fasting (Anaśana), Sannyāsa, Tīrtha-Death, and the Ethics of Dāna

Devanagari script

तीर्थसेवी नरो यस्तु सर्वकिल्बिषवर्जितः / तत्र म्रियते दह्येत तत्तीर्थफलभाग्भवेत्

Transliteration

tīrthasevī naro yastu sarvakilbiṣavarjitaḥ / tatra mriyate dahyeta tattīrthaphalabhāgbhavet

Translation

തീർത്ഥസേവയിൽ നിരതനായി സർവ്വപാപവിമുക്തനായ മനുഷ്യൻ അവിടെയേ മരിക്കുകയും അവിടെയേ ദഹിക്കപ്പെടുകയും ചെയ്താൽ, ആ തീർത്ഥഫലത്തിന്റെ പൂർണ്ണ പങ്കാളിയാകും।

Word by Word

• तीर्थ-सेवी: a pilgrim/one who serves holy places
• तीर्थ-सेवी: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + सेविन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तीर्थस्य सेविन्)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); विरोध/विशेषार्थे

• सर्व-किल्बिष-वर्जितः: free from all sins
• सर्व-किल्बिष-वर्जितः: विशेषण (Adjectival to कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + किल्बिष (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्जित (कृदन्त; √वर्ज् त्यक्तौ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP); तत्पुरुष-समासः (सर्वाणि किल्बिषाणि वर्जितः)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• म्रियते: dies
• म्रियते: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• दह्येत: would be burned/cremated
• दह्येत: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दह् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

• तत्-तीर्थ-फल-भाग्: a sharer of that pilgrimage’s fruit
• तत्-तीर्थ-फल-भाग्: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (तस्य तीर्थस्य फलस्य भागः)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Svarga

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Self (preta/ātman’s gati)

Timing: At death and immediately post-death (antyeṣṭi context) at the tīrtha

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Tīrtha-sevā and sinlessness (kिल्बिष-वर्जित) yield heightened puṇya; death and cremation at the tīrtha confer full tīrtha-phala.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-śuddhi as preparation for higher realization; sacred space supports sattva and auspicious saṃskāra at life’s end.

Application: Live with ethical purity and regular pilgrimage/service; if possible, arrange end-of-life spiritual support and sacred remembrance (smaraṇa) rather than mere logistics.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: tīrtha/śmaśāna vicinity (cremation at tīrtha)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: tīrtha-mahātmyas; merit of dying in sacred places; importance of antyeṣṭi and śuddhi

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Garuda
• Tirtha

FAQs

What is the importance of dying at a tīrtha in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that a sin-free person devoted to tīrthas who dies and is cremated at that sacred place partakes of the tīrtha’s full spiritual merit (tīrtha-phala).

How does this verse connect death rites with spiritual outcomes?

It links the place of death and cremation (dahana) to the accrual of merit, implying that proper end-of-life circumstances at a sacred tīrtha support auspicious post-death results.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate a life of ethical purity (sin-avoidance) and sincere pilgrimage practice; treat funeral rites with reverence, understanding that intention, conduct, and sacred context are emphasized.