Shloka 12

The Narrative of the Five Pretas

Eligibility for rites and jīvac-chrāddha procedure

Devanagari script

सदक्षिणाश्च सतिलास्तिस्त्रश्च जलधेनवः / निवेदयेत्पितृभ्यश्च स्वधेति सुसमाहितः

Transliteration

sadakṣiṇāśca satilāstistraśca jaladhenavaḥ / nivedayetpitṛbhyaśca svadheti susamāhitaḥ

Translation

യഥോചിത ദക്ഷിണയും എള്ളും മൂന്നു ജലധേനുക്കളും സമർപ്പിച്ച്, പൂർണ്ണ സമാഹിതനായി ‘സ്വധാ’ ഉച്ചരിച്ച് പിതൃകൾക്കു നിവേദനം ചെയ്യണം।

Word by Word

• स-दक्षिणाः: (offerings) with dakṣiṇā (fees)
• स-दक्षिणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक) + सु- (उपसर्ग/उपपद)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण—'दक्षिणा'युक्ताः (with gifts/fees)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• स-तिलाः: with sesame
• स-तिलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तिला (प्रातिपदिक) + स- (उपपद)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण—तिलयुक्ताः (with sesame)

• तिस्रः: three
• तिस्रः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण (numeral adjective)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• जल-धेनवः: water-cows (water offerings)
• जल-धेनवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—जलस्य धेनवः (cows of water; water-cows/ water-offerings)

• निवेदयेत्: should offer/present
• निवेदयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-विद् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; causative sense not intended—'offer/present'

• पितृभ्यः: to the Pitṛs (ancestors)
• पितृभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• स्वधा: “svadhā”
• स्वधा: Vacana/Mantra (उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वधा (प्रातिपदिक/मन्त्रपद)
• Form: मन्त्र-उद्गाररूपेण अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (mantric exclamation used indeclinably)

• इति: thus
• इति: Vacana-marker (उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative particle)

• सु-समाहितः: well-collected (in mind)
• सु-समाहितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समाहित (कृदन्त; सम्-आ-धा धातु) + सु- (उपसर्ग/उपपद)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle) विशेषण—well-composed/attentive

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in dialogue instructing Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Parvana

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Śrāddha occasion (tithi-based; commonly amāvasyā/mahālaya or prescribed family śrāddha day)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Śrāddha as a duty: offerings to Pitṛs must be accompanied by dakṣiṇā and performed with mental steadiness (samāhita).

Vedantic Theme: Karma performed with śraddhā and niyama purifies the mind (citta-śuddhi) and sustains ṛṇa-traya obligations (especially pitṛ-ṛṇa).

Application: When performing ancestral rites, include prescribed gifts (dakṣiṇā, tilā, water-charity) and maintain focused, calm attention while reciting svadhā.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: ritual-space (gṛhya/śrāddha-vedi)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.8 (Śrāddha-vidhi sequence: tilā, dakṣiṇā, svadhā, placement of offerings)

Characters & Entities

• Pitris

FAQs

What is the importance of saying “svadhā” in Garuda Purana śrāddha rites?

This verse presents “svadhā” as the proper offering-formula specifically addressed to the Pitṛs, marking the rite as an ancestral oblation rather than a deva-yajña.

What does “jaladhenu” mean in Garuda Purana and why are there three?

Here “jaladhenu” indicates a prescribed water-offering modeled on the merit of gifting a cow; the verse specifies three as the required count for this particular ancestral offering sequence.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

When performing tarpaṇa/śrāddha, include traditional elements (tilā, appropriate giving) and do the rite with steady attention and reverence, not mechanically.