Shloka 3

Explanation of Purification (Śuddhi-vyākhyāna)

Devanagari script

पाषड्यनाश्रमाश्चैव महापातकिनस्तथा / स्त्रियश्च व्यभिचारिण्य आरूढपतितास्तथा

Transliteration

pāṣaḍyanāśramāścaiva mahāpātakinastathā / striyaśca vyabhicāriṇya ārūḍhapatitāstathā

Translation

പാഷണ്ഡികൾ, ആശ്രമധർമ്മം ഉപേക്ഷിച്ചവർ, മഹാപാതകികൾ; അതുപോലെ വ്യഭിചാരിണികളായ സ്ത്രീകളും, ഗുരുപതനത്തിലേക്ക് വീണവരും (നിന്ദ്യഗണത്തിൽ ഉൾപ്പെടുന്നു)।

Word by Word

• pāṣaṇḍyanāśramāḥ: Heretics and those without an Ashrama
• pāṣaṇḍyanāśramāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṣaṇḍin-anāśrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• ca: and
• ca: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (emphatic)

• mahāpātakinaḥ: great sinners
• mahāpātakinaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahāpātakin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• tathā: likewise/also
• tathā: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb

• striyaḥ: women
• striyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• ca: and
• ca: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• vyabhicāriṇyaḥ: adulterous/unchaste
• vyabhicāriṇyaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyabhicārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• ārūḍhapatitāḥ: those who have fallen from a high state/vow
• ārūḍhapatitāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ārūḍhapatita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vainateya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Deviation from āśrama discipline, mahāpātaka, and sexual transgression are framed as causes of ‘fallenness’ with ritual consequences.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma as purifier of antaḥkaraṇa; adharma as obscuration leading to bondage and suffering.

Application: Maintain commitments of one’s life-stage duties; avoid grave transgressions; seek prāyaścitta and reform rather than continued downfall.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: sections on mahāpātaka, prāyaścitta, and śrāddha restrictions (topic-parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of listing sins like mahāpātaka in the Garuda Purana?

This verse classifies specific grave transgressions (mahāpātaka and dharma-rejecting conduct) to indicate who is considered severely blameworthy in Yama’s moral accounting, urging adherence to dharma and prescribed life-duties.

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

By identifying categories of serious sinners, the verse implies that such persons face adverse post-death outcomes under Yama’s jurisdiction, contrasting with those who follow āśrama-dharma and moral restraint.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Maintain integrity in conduct (especially sexual ethics), avoid dharma-denying ideologies that justify harm, and live responsibly within one’s duties—so one’s karma supports a calmer death-transition and better post-death destiny.