Shloka 25

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

Devanagari script

गृहे तु यत् कृतं पापं तीर्थस्नानेन शुध्यति / कुरुते तत्र पापञ्चेद्वज्रलेपसमं हि तत्

Transliteration

gṛhe tu yat kṛtaṃ pāpaṃ tīrthasnānena śudhyati / kurute tatra pāpañcedvajralepasamaṃ hi tat

Translation

വീട്ടിൽ ചെയ്ത പാപം തീർത്ഥസ്നാനത്താൽ ശുദ്ധമാകുന്നു. എന്നാൽ അതേ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ തന്നെ പാപം ചെയ്താൽ, അത് വജ്രലേപംപോലെ—ഒഴിവാക്കാൻ അത്യന്തം ദുഷ്കരം ആകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• gṛhe: in the house
• gṛhe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (अवधारण/विरोधार्थक)

• yat: which/whatever
• yat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; relative pronoun referring to pāpam

• kṛtam: done/committed
• kṛtam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धा॒तु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; agreeing with pāpam

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• tīrtha-snānena: by bathing at a sacred place
• tīrtha-snānena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (tīrthasya snānena)

• śudhyati: is purified
• śudhyati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śudh (धा॒तु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular

• kurute: does/commits
• kurute: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धा॒तु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Ātmanepada, 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (देशवाचक अव्यय)

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• cet: if
• cet: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cet (अव्यय)
• Form: Conditional particle (यदि-अर्थक अव्यय)

• vajra-lepa-samam: like a coating of diamond (i.e., extremely hard to remove)
• vajra-lepa-samam: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्तृ-समानााधिकरण/subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vajra (प्रातिपदिक) + lepa (प्रातिपदिक) + sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; tatpurusha within (vajrasya lepaḥ) + adjective sama; used predicatively of tat (pāpam)

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (हेतौ/निश्चयार्थक अव्यय)

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; demonstrative pronoun referring to the sin committed there

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vainateya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Sacred places amplify both purification and culpability; wrongdoing at a tīrtha yields heavy, stubborn karmic residue.

Vedantic Theme: Karma’s subtlety: context and intention intensify saṃskāra; purity is not mechanical—ethical integrity is essential.

Application: Approach sacred spaces with heightened mindfulness; avoid hypocrisy and exploitation; treat ‘spiritual settings’ as requiring stricter ethics, not looser.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: tirtha

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.36.23–24 (tīrtha at death; merit of journey); Garuda Purana dharma sections warning against tīrtha-apacāra (general theme)

Characters & Entities

• Tirtha

FAQs

What is the importance of tīrtha-snāna (holy bathing) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that bathing at a tīrtha has purificatory power for sins committed in ordinary life, emphasizing pilgrimage as a dharmic means of inner cleansing.

How does this verse explain the seriousness of sin at a holy place?

It teaches that wrongdoing at a tīrtha becomes ‘vajra-lepa’—as if diamond-coated—meaning it becomes especially difficult to purify due to the greater sanctity and intentional violation involved.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat sacred spaces and rituals with integrity: go for pilgrimage with restraint, truthfulness, and non-harm, and avoid exploiting religious settings for unethical acts.