Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 59

Akālamṛtyu: Preta-state Categories and the Nārāyaṇa-bali / Ekoddiṣṭa Remedy

Devanagari script

शिरोमे श्रीरिति ऋचा पुनन्तु वरुणेति च / प्रेतस्य पावनं कृत्वा शालिशालशिलोदकैः

Transliteration

śirome śrīriti ṛcā punantu varuṇeti ca / pretasya pāvanaṃ kṛtvā śāliśālaśilodakaiḥ

Translation

“śiro me śrīḥ…” (ခေါင်းပေါ်၌ သရီး) ဟု စတင်သော Ṛk-မంత్రနှင့် “Varuṇa…” ဟု စတင်သော မంత్రတို့က (သူ့ကို) သန့်စင်ပါစေ။ ထိုသို့ ပရေတကို သန့်စင်ပြီးနောက် ဆန်နှင့် śāli စပါးစေ့များ၊ သေးငယ်သော ကျောက်စရစ် (śilā) များ ထည့်ထားသော ရေဖြင့် လျော်သန့်စင်ရမည်။

Word by Word

• śiraḥ: head
• śiraḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd—प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); in sandhi with me

• me: of me / my
• me: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी) Singular (एकवचन)

• śrīḥ: prosperity; Śrī
• śrīḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• iti: thus
• iti: Vacana-marker (उद्धरणसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Quotative particle (इति-निपात)

• ṛcā: by a ṛk-verse (hymn)
• ṛcā: Karana (करण/तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛc (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• punantu: may they purify
• punantu: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pū (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन); Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• varuṇa: O Varuṇa
• varuṇa: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varuṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन); used in quoted mantra

• iti: thus
• iti: Vacana-marker (उद्धरणसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Quotative particle (इति-निपात)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• pretasya: of the departed (spirit)
• pretasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• pāvanam: purification (rite)
• pāvanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāvana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• kṛtvā: having done
• kṛtvā: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), indeclinable verbal form (अव्ययभाव)

• śāli-śāla-śila-udakaiḥ: with waters (from) rice, śāla-tree, and stone
• śāli-śāla-śila-udakaiḥ: Karana (करण/तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāli + śāla + śilā + udaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन); dvandva compound enumerating waters (udakāni)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vainateya)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Ekoddishta

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: During purification segment of śrāddha/preta-vidhi

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Purification (pāvana) is effected through mantra and consecrated substances; sound and substance cooperate in ritual efficacy.

Vedantic Theme: Śabda as a purifier and carrier of intention; karma as a means to restore order (ṛta) in liminal states.

Application: Use prescribed ṛk/mantras for purification and prepare cleansing water with specified additives; maintain attention to pronunciation and ritual cleanliness.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: ritual space with water vessel (kalasha)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.40 mantra-nyāsa and preta-śodhana steps; references to specific ṛks for śuddhi

Characters & Entities

• Varuna
• Preta
• Rigvedic mantra (Ṛk)

FAQs

What is the importance of preta purification (preta-pāvana) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames mantra-recitation and ritual water as a means to purify the departed in the preta-state, supporting orderly post-death rites and easing the transition in the after-death journey described in the Preta Kanda.

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

By explicitly naming the departed as “preta,” it reflects the Garuda Purana’s intermediate post-death condition where specific rites—mantras and cleansing acts—are prescribed to aid the being before it reaches Yama’s domain and subsequent stages.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

It emphasizes disciplined, respectful performance of funeral and post-funeral rites—using appropriate mantras and purified water—while cultivating reverence and responsibility toward ancestors and the departed.