Shloka 25

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

Devanagari script

धर्मराजस्य पुरतो वाच्यं मे सुकृतं वृष / दक्षिणांसे त्रिशूलाङ्कं वामोरौ चक्रचिह्नितम्

Transliteration

dharmarājasya purato vācyaṃ me sukṛtaṃ vṛṣa / dakṣiṇāṃse triśūlāṅkaṃ vāmorau cakracihnitam

Translation

“Di hadapan Dharmarāja (Yama), wahai yang benar, biarlah kebajikanku diumumkan: pada bahu kananku ada tanda trisula, dan pada paha kiriku bertanda cakra.”

Word by Word

• धर्मराजस्य: of Dharmaraja (Yama)
• धर्मराजस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive, 6th), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष: 'धर्मः एव राजा'

• पुरतः: in front of
• पुरतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable), स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• वाच्यम्: to be spoken/should be stated
• वाच्यम्: Predicate (Vidheyabhava/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वच् (धातु) + य (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/तव्यत्-भाव), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc., 1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• मे: my / to me
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (Gen./Dat., 6th/4th), एकवचन (Singular) — enclitic

• सुकृतम्: merit, good deed
• सुकृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc., 1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• वृष: O bull
• वृष: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन (Vocative, 8th), एकवचन (Singular)

• दक्षिणांसे: on the right shoulder
• दक्षिणांसे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक) + अंस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative, 7th), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय: 'दक्षिणम् अंसम्'

• त्रिशूलाङ्कम्: marked with a trident sign
• त्रिशूलाङ्कम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + शूल (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc., 1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष: 'त्रिशूलस्य अङ्कः (चिह्नम्) यस्य'

• वामोरौ: on the left thigh
• वामोरौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाम (प्रातिपदिक) + ऊरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (Locative, 7th), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय: 'वामः ऊरुः'

• चक्रचिह्नितम्: marked with a discus sign
• चक्रचिह्नितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + चिह्नित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc., 1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष: 'चक्रेण चिह्नितम्'

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra in the Preta Kanda dialogue frame)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Ekoddishta

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: After death, as merits from rites are invoked during the Yama-audit narrative frame

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Karma is audited; ritual merit and dharmic signs are invoked as testimony before Dharmarāja.

Vedantic Theme: Moral causality (karma-niyati) governs post-mortem experience; external signs symbolize inner alignment with dharma.

Application: Live so that one’s ‘account’ is clear—consistent ethical action, charity, and remembrance rites; cultivate integrity rather than last-minute bargaining.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: vira

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: sabha/court

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: Yama-sabha descriptions and karma-judgment narratives; Garuda Purana: śrāddha-dāna as aids in Yama’s path

Characters & Entities

• Dharmaraja (Yama)

FAQs

What is the importance of proclaiming merit before Dharmaraja in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents the idea that one’s sukṛta (merit) is formally acknowledged in Yama’s court, serving as a basis for just judgment and favorable outcomes in the post-death journey.

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

It implies that the departed is evaluated before Dharmarāja, where visible ‘signs’ or identifiers of virtue (marks like trident/discus) symbolize recognized spiritual merit during the afterlife adjudication.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate dharma and meritorious actions consistently—ethical living, charity, and devotion—so that one’s life is ‘marked’ by virtue rather than harm, aligning with the Purāṇic emphasis on accountability after death.