Shloka 69

Vṛṣotsarga (Bull-Release Gift): Procedure, Merit, and Narratives on Dharma, Karma, and Liberation

Devanagari script

अवटोदा ताम्रपर्णो त्रिकृटः कोल्लको गिरिः / वासिष्ठं ब्रह्मतीर्थञ्च ज्ञानतीर्थं महोदधिः

Transliteration

avaṭodā tāmraparṇo trikṛṭaḥ kollako giriḥ / vāsiṣṭhaṃ brahmatīrthañca jñānatīrthaṃ mahodadhiḥ

Translation

അവടോദാ, താമ്രപർണ, ത്രികൃട, കൊല്ലക പർവ്വതം; കൂടാതെ വാസിഷ്ഠം, ബ്രഹ്മതീർത്ഥം, ജ്ഞാനതീർത്ഥം, മഹോദധി—ഇവ മാർഗത്തിലെ പ്രസിദ്ധ സ്ഥാനങ്ങളാണ്.

Word by Word

• अवटोदा: Avaṭodā (name of a river/place)
• अवटोदा: Karta/Listing item (नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवटोदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नदी/स्थान-नाम

• ताम्रपर्णः: Tāmraparṇa (Copper-leaf; river name)
• ताम्रपर्णः: Karta/Listing item (नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ताम्र + पर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नदी-नाम (ताम्रपर्णी)

• त्रिकृटः: Trikṛṭa (three-peaked mountain)
• त्रिकृटः: Karta/Listing item (नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + कृट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; पर्वत/स्थान-नाम

• कोल्लकः: Kollaka (name)
• कोल्लकः: Karta/Listing item (नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोल्लक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नाम

• गिरिः: mountain
• गिरिः: Apposition (सम्बोधन/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• वासिष्ठम्: Vāsiṣṭha (Vasiṣṭha’s sacred place)
• वासिष्ठम्: Karma/Listing item (नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; वसिष्ठ-सम्बन्धि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; तीर्थ-नाम

• ब्रह्मतीर्थम्: Brahmatīrtha
• ब्रह्मतीर्थम्: Karma/Listing item (नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; तीर्थ-नाम

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• ज्ञानतीर्थम्: Jñānatīrtha
• ज्ञानतीर्थम्: Karma/Listing item (नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; तीर्थ-नाम

• महोदधिः: the great ocean
• महोदधिः: Karta/Listing item (नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + उदधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Contact with tīrthas (snāna, darśana, smaraṇa) is presented as a merit-generating act; ‘Jñāna-tīrtha’ hints that inner knowledge is the highest purifier.

Vedantic Theme: External purity supports internal purification; jñāna as the ultimate tīrtha (knowledge as crossing-place).

Application: Pair pilgrimage acts (snāna, dāna, japa) with study/reflective inquiry; treat ‘Jñāna-tīrtha’ as a reminder to cultivate discernment alongside ritual.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: river, mountain, tīrtha, ocean

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.6 (continued tīrtha enumeration)

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha (as Vāsiṣṭha-tīrtha)
• Brahma (as Brahma-tīrtha)

FAQs

What is the importance of tīrthas like Brahma-tīrtha and Jñāna-tīrtha in the Garuda Purana?

In this verse they function as named sacred crossings/holy stations, emphasizing that the tradition maps the post-death narrative using tīrtha-language—places of passage, purification, and spiritual significance.

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

Rather than describing punishments directly, it lists key geographic-sacral markers (rivers, mountains, tīrthas, ocean), suggesting a structured “route” framework used in the Preta Kanda’s account of the departed being’s journey.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

It encourages reverence for sacred waters and disciplined remembrance of dharma—supporting death-rites (śrāddha, piṇḍa-dāna) and ethical living so one’s passage is aligned with auspicious spiritual order.