Shloka 77

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

Devanagari script

धौतपापो नरो याति प्रेतकुण्डे च पिण्डदः / देवनद्यां लेलिहाने मथने जानुगर्तके

Transliteration

dhautapāpo naro yāti pretakuṇḍe ca piṇḍadaḥ / devanadyāṃ lelihāne mathane jānugartake

Translation

Aquele cujos pecados foram lavados segue adiante; e o ofertante de piṇḍa passa além do Preta-kuṇḍa—atravessando o Rio Deva, o lugar chamado Lelihaṇa, a região chamada Mathana e a cova até o joelho (Jānugartaka).

Word by Word

• धौतपापः: with sins washed away
• धौतपापः: Karta-predicative (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धौत + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (whose sin is washed/cleansed)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• याति: goes
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• प्रेतकुण्डे: in the Preta-pond
• प्रेतकुण्डे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत + कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; स्थानवाचक

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

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

• देवनद्याम्: in the divine river
• देवनद्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; स्थानवाचक

• लेलिहाने: at (the place called) Leliḥāna
• लेलिहाने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लेलिहान (प्रातिपदिक; √लिह् intensive/participle base)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तीर्थनाम/स्थानवाचक (as a toponym)

• मथने: at (the place called) Mathana
• मथने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मथन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तीर्थनाम/स्थानवाचक

• जानुगर्तके: at Jānugartaka (knee-pit place)
• जानुगर्तके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जानु + गर्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तीर्थनाम/स्थानवाचक

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Parvana

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: At successive tīrtha-stations during pilgrimage

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Sin is ‘washed’ (dhauta-pāpa) through prescribed acts; piṇḍa-dāna enables safe passage through liminal stations and supports the departed.

Vedantic Theme: Purification (śuddhi) as prerequisite for higher gati; ritual action as a means to reorder karmic burden.

Application: Use pilgrimage as a structured sādhana: confession/resolve, bathing with mantra, piṇḍa-dāna with correct intention, and mindful remembrance of mortality to reduce harmful actions.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: tīrtha/liminal stations (kuṇḍa, river, named regions/pits) on a sacred itinerary

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana descriptions of preta-path and obstacles; efficacy of piṇḍa-dāna in easing passage; Garuda Purana lists of narakas and transitional terrors (conceptual linkage, though here framed as tīrtha-stations)

Characters & Entities

• Pretas
• Devas

FAQs

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

This verse links piṇḍa-dāna with smoother passage on the preta’s route, implying that proper funeral offerings help the departed move beyond difficult stations like Preta-kuṇḍa and other perilous regions.

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

It presents the after-death journey as a sequence of specific stations—Preta-kuṇḍa, a divine river, and named harsh regions—through which the deceased must pass, with purity of karma and rites influencing the journey.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform ancestral rites responsibly (as per one’s tradition) and live ethically so that one’s “sins are cleansed,” reflecting the text’s emphasis on both right conduct and proper śrāddha-related duties.