Shloka 49

Vaitaraṇī: Torments of the Sinful, Sins Enumerated, and the Vaitaraṇī Go-dāna Rite

Devanagari script

हरिर्भागीरथी विप्रा विप्रा भागीरथी हरिः / भागीरथी हरिर्विप्राः सारमेतज्जगत्त्रये

Transliteration

harirbhāgīrathī viprā viprā bhāgīrathī hariḥ / bhāgīrathī harirviprāḥ sārametajjagattraye

Translation

ഹരി, ഭാഗീരഥി, വിപ്രർ—സാരത്തിൽ ഒന്നുതന്നെ; വിപ്രർ, ഭാഗീരഥി, ഹരി—ഇതും ഒന്നുതന്നെ. ത്രിലോകത്തിൽ ഇതാണ് സാരം.

Word by Word

• हरिः: Hari
• हरिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• भागीरथी: Bhāgīrathī (the Gaṅgā)
• भागीरथी: Karta (कर्ता) / Predicate complement (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भागीरथी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; (गङ्गा)

• विप्राः: brāhmaṇas
• विप्राः: Karta (कर्ता) / Predicate complement (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन

• विप्राः: brāhmaṇas
• विप्राः: Karta (कर्ता) / Predicate complement (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; repetition for equivalence

• भागीरथी: Bhāgīrathī (Gaṅgā)
• भागीरथी: Karta (कर्ता) / Predicate complement (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भागीरथी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• हरिः: Hari
• हरिः: Karta (कर्ता) / Predicate complement (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भागीरथी: Bhāgīrathī (Gaṅgā)
• भागीरथी: Karta (कर्ता) / Predicate complement (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भागीरथी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• हरिः: Hari
• हरिः: Karta (कर्ता) / Predicate complement (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विप्राः: brāhmaṇas
• विप्राः: Karta (कर्ता) / Predicate complement (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सारम्: essence
• सारम्: Karma (कर्म) / Predicate complement
• Type: Noun
• Root: सार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; predicate ‘essence’

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun qualifying सारम्

• जगत्-त्रये: in the three worlds
• जगत्-त्रये: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: त्रयाणां जगताम् (in the three worlds)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra in the Preta Kanda discourse)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Essential sanctity is shared/recognized among Hari, Gaṅgā, and brāhmaṇas—three pillars of purification and dharmic order.

Vedantic Theme: Seeing one sacred essence (sāra) behind revered forms; hierarchy of purity culminating in the Lord as the ground of holiness.

Application: Honor sacred waters, honor learned and virtuous brāhmaṇas (and by extension genuine spiritual teachers), and center devotion on Hari; approach tīrtha and teachers with humility and ethical conduct.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: river

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.47.48 (Hari as maṅgala-āyatana)

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Vishnu)
• Bhagirathi (Ganga)
• Vipras (Brahmanas)

FAQs

What is the importance of Ganga (Bhagirathi) in Garuda Purana death rituals?

This verse treats Bhāgīrathī as sacred and spiritually equivalent in reverence to Hari and the vipras, implying that Ganga-related sanctity (water, remembrance, pilgrimage) powerfully supports śrāddha and purification.

How does this verse guide Shraddha and Pinda-dana practices?

By declaring the essential oneness of Hari, Bhāgīrathī, and brāhmaṇas, it underscores that successful rites depend on devotion to Viṣṇu, the purifying sanctity associated with Gaṅgā, and proper honoring/feeding of qualified vipras.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform ancestral rites with sincerity: remember Hari (Viṣṇu-nāma), uphold respect and ethical support for learned priests/elders, and value sacred waters and purity as symbols of inner cleansing and dharmic living.