Shloka 29

Tila–Darbha–Maṇḍala in Aūrdhvadaihika: Protection, Eligibility, and the Merit of Salt-Dāna

Devanagari script

गोमयेनोपलिप्ते तु दर्भस्यास्तरणे स्थितः / तत्र दत्तेन दानेन सर्वं पापं व्यपोहति

Transliteration

gomayenopalipte tu darbhasyāstaraṇe sthitaḥ / tatra dattena dānena sarvaṃ pāpaṃ vyapohati

Translation

နွားချေးဖြင့်လိမ်းထားသောနေရာ၌ ဒರ್ಭမြက်ခင်းပေါ်ထိုင်၍ ထိုနေရာတွင် ဒါနပြုလျှင် အပြစ်အားလုံးကို ဖယ်ရှားနိုင်သည်။

Word by Word

• गोमयेन: with cow-dung
• गोमयेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोमय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण

• उपलिप्ते: in/when (it is) smeared
• उपलिप्ते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप-√लिप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण-विशेषण (in the smeared place)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• दर्भस्य: of darbha
• दर्भस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• आस्तरणे: on the bedding/spread
• आस्तरणे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आस्तरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण

• स्थितः: situated/lying
• स्थितः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle: standing/being), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Adverbial location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: there)

• दत्तेन: given
• दत्तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying दानेन)

• दानेन: by (the act of) giving/donation
• दानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; करण

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (पापम्)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• व्यपोहति: removes/drives away
• व्यपोहति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-अप-√ऊह्/√अपोह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda)

Shraddha Ritual

Timing: Śrāddha/dāna occasion (general)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dāna performed in a purified ritual setting has strong pāpa-kṣaya efficacy.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-śuddhi as preparation for higher realization; outer purity supporting inner purification.

Application: Before giving (especially in śrāddha/antyeṣṭi contexts), prepare a clean place (traditional gomaya-lepana where applicable) and sit on darbha; give with intention of pāpa-kṣaya.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: ritual platform/clean ground

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana śrāddha/dāna passages emphasizing pāpa-kṣaya through properly situated gifts (contextual parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Darbha
• Gomaya

FAQs

What is the importance of darbha grass and cow-dung in Garuda Purana rituals?

This verse presents them as markers of ritual purity: sitting on darbha on a cow-dung-smeared place sanctifies the act of dāna, making it efficacious for removing pāpa.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in the Garuda Purana context?

In the Preta Kanda framework, the living support the departed through śrāddha and dāna; the verse emphasizes that properly performed, purified gifting reduces sin-related obstructions that affect the preta’s post-death journey.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

When performing charity or ancestral rites, prioritize cleanliness, intentionality, and a sanctified setting—then give sincerely, as the Purana links disciplined dāna with moral and spiritual purification.