Shloka 70

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

Devanagari script

हृषीकेशं विराजञ्च विशालं नीलपर्वतः / भीमकूटः श्वेतगिरी रुद्रतीर्थमुमावनम्

Transliteration

hṛṣīkeśaṃ virājañca viśālaṃ nīlaparvataḥ / bhīmakūṭaḥ śvetagirī rudratīrthamumāvanam

Translation

അവിടെ ഹൃഷീകേശം, വിരാജ്, വിശാലം, നീലപർവ്വതം ഉണ്ട്; കൂടാതെ ഭീമകൂടം, ശ്വേതഗിരി, രുദ്രതീർത്ഥം, ഉമാവനം എന്നിവയും ഉണ്ട്.

Word by Word

• हृषीकेशम्: Hṛṣīkeśa (name of Viṣṇu/place)
• हृषीकेशम्: Karma/Listing item (नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृषीक + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; नाम (देव/स्थान)

• विराजम्: Virāj (name)
• विराजम्: Karma/Listing item (नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विराज् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; नाम

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

• विशालम्: Viśāla (name; ‘vast’)
• विशालम्: Karma/Listing item (नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; नाम/विशेषणवत्-नाम

• नीलपर्वतः: Nīlaparvata (Blue Mountain)
• नीलपर्वतः: Karta/Listing item (नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नील + पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; पर्वत-नाम

• भीमकूटः: Bhīmakūṭa (terrible peak)
• भीमकूटः: Karta/Listing item (नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीम + कूट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; पर्वत-नाम

• श्वेतगिरी: Śvetagiri (White Mountain)
• श्वेतगिरी: Karta/Listing item (नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वेत + गिरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; पर्वत-नाम

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

• उमावनम्: Umāvana (forest of Umā)
• उमावनम्: Karma/Listing item (नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा + वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; वन-नाम

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Pilgrimage honors diverse manifestations of the divine; sacred groves and mountains are dharmic spaces requiring purity, restraint, and non-harm.

Vedantic Theme: Ekaṃ sat—many names/forms; devotion across forms can converge toward the same Reality.

Application: Practice tīrtha-sadācāra: cleanliness, truthfulness, non-violence, and ecological care in sacred groves and mountain regions; integrate sense-restraint (Hṛṣīkeśa) with worship.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: kṣetra, mountain, tīrtha, sacred grove

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.6 (route continues; multiple deity-associated tīrthas)

Characters & Entities

• Hṛṣīkeśa (Vishnu)
• Rudra (Shiva)
• Umā (Parvati)

FAQs

What is the importance of naming these places in Garuda Purana?

This verse functions as a catalog of sacred stations (tīrthas/regions) that map the purāṇic sacred geography used to describe the departed soul’s passage and the religious imagination of the journey after death.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Rather than describing punishments directly, it situates the narrative in a route-like framework—listing mountains, groves, and tīrthas—through which the post-death journey is pictured in Preta Kanda teachings.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

It supports tīrtha-smaraṇa (remembering sacred names/places) and reinforces faith in dharma-centered living, encouraging devotees to keep sacred remembrance and perform rites with attention and reverence.