Shloka 78

Gayā-kṣetra and Phalgu Tīrtha: Sites, Rites, and the Liberation of the Pitṛs

Devanagari script

एवमादिषु तीर्थेषु पिण्डदस्तारयेत्पितॄन् / नत्वा देवान्वसिष्ठेशप्रभृतीनृणसंक्षयम्

Transliteration

evamādiṣu tīrtheṣu piṇḍadastārayetpitṝn / natvā devānvasiṣṭheśaprabhṛtīnṛṇasaṃkṣayam

Translation

Di tīrtha-tīrtha suci seperti itu dan yang seumpamanya, hendaklah seseorang menyeberangkan para Pitṛ dengan mempersembahkan piṇḍa; lalu, setelah bersujud kepada para Deva—bermula dengan Vasiṣṭha dan para mulia yang lain—hendaklah ia menyelesaikan hutang kewajipan dirinya.

Word by Word

• एवमादिषु: in such (places) etc.
• एवमादिषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एवम् + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; 'एवम्' इति अव्ययपूर्वक समासः; स्थान/प्रसङ्गवाचक (in such etc.)

• तीर्थेषु: in pilgrimage places
• तीर्थेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; स्थानवाचक

• पिण्डदः: the piṇḍa-offerer
• पिण्डदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड + द (धातु/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तारयेत्: should deliver/save
• तारयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; causative sense not marked here (simple: 'should ferry/save')

• पितॄन्: the ancestors
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• नत्वा: having bowed
• नत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वक्रिया

• देवान्: the gods
• देवान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• वसिष्ठेशप्रभृतीन्: those beginning with Vasiṣṭheśa
• वसिष्ठेशप्रभृतीन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ + ईश + प्रभृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; 'वसिष्ठेश' (वसिष्ठस्य ईशः/वसिष्ठ-ईशः) इति तत्पुरुषः, तस्मात् 'प्रभृति' (beginning with) इत्यर्थे समास/सम्बन्धः

• नृणाम्: of men/people
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• संक्षयम्: destruction/cessation
• संक्षयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मपद (object)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Parvana

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: At tīrthas during pilgrimage; also applicable on śrāddha tithis

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Pitṛ-tāraṇa through piṇḍa-dāna and settling of ṛṇa (debts/obligations) by honoring devas/ṛṣis and performing prescribed rites.

Vedantic Theme: Ṛṇa-traya (deva-ṛṇa, ṛṣi-ṛṇa, pitṛ-ṛṇa) as the ethical structure of embodied life; karma purified through right discharge of duties.

Application: Regularly honor ancestors (śrāddha/tarpaṇa), study/teach sacred knowledge (ṛṣi-ṛṇa), and support communal worship/ethical living (deva-ṛṇa); keep a ‘debts of gratitude’ practice.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Geographic Context

Type: tīrtha network; devotional/ritual setting

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana śrāddha chapters on pitṛ-tāraṇa and tīrtha-śrāddha; Garuda Purana discussions of ṛṇa-traya and household duties (conceptual)

Characters & Entities

• Pitris
• Devas
• Vasistha

FAQs

What is the importance of piṇḍa-dāna in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that offering piṇḍas at sacred tīrthas is a means to ‘deliver’ or aid the Pitṛs, linking ritual offering with ancestral welfare.

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

Rather than describing the soul’s route directly, it emphasizes the living person’s duties—śrāddha/piṇḍa offerings and reverence to divine-sage lineages—as supportive acts connected with post-death well-being and dharmic continuity.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform śrāddha or ancestral rites with sincerity (especially during prescribed times or at tīrthas if possible), and cultivate gratitude and responsibility toward one’s obligations—family, teachers, and the divine—aiming to ‘settle’ duties through ethical living.