Shloka 51

Pitṛ-Stuti, Tarpaṇa, and the Ritual Power of Recitation in Śrāddha

Devanagari script

रुचिरुवाच / अर्चितानाममूर्तानां पितॄणां दीप्ततेजसाम् / नमस्यामि सदा तेषां ध्यानिनां दिव्यचक्षुषाम्

Transliteration

ruciruvāca / arcitānāmamūrtānāṃ pitṝṇāṃ dīptatejasām / namasyāmi sadā teṣāṃ dhyānināṃ divyacakṣuṣām

Translation

Ruci disse: Eu sempre me prostro diante desses Pitṛs radiantes—sem forma e, ainda assim, dignos de veneração—contemplativos dotados de visão divina.

Word by Word

• रुचिः: Ruci
• रुचिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अर्चितानाम्: of the worshipped
• अर्चितानाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्च् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘पितॄणाम्’ विशेषण

• अमूर्तानाम्: of the formless
• अमूर्तानाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (नञ्) + मूर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘पितॄणाम्’ विशेषण

• पितॄणाम्: of the Pitṛs (ancestors)
• पितॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• दीप्ततेजसाम्: of those with shining splendor
• दीप्ततेजसाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीप्त (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त) + तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समासः (दीप्तं तेजः येषाम्); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘पितॄणाम्’ विशेषण

• नमस्यामि: I bow to / I salute
• नमस्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नमस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नित्यत्ववाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: always)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• ध्यानिनाम्: of the meditators
• ध्यानिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्यायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• दिव्यचक्षुषाम्: of those with divine sight
• दिव्यचक्षुषाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक) + चक्षुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समासः (दिव्यं चक्षुः येषाम्); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘ध्यानिनाम्/तेषाम्’ विशेषण

Speaker

Ruciru

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Parvana

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Amāvāsyā / Pitṛ-pakṣa / prescribed śrāddha days (contextual applicability)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Pitṛ-bhakti: honoring ancestors as luminous contemplatives with ‘divine sight’; remembrance and reverence sustain lineage and cosmic order.

Vedantic Theme: Subtle beings and subtle perception (divya-cakṣus) point to gradations of consciousness; worship refines the seer.

Application: Maintain gratitude to forebears; include ancestral remembrance in daily prayer/annual rites; cultivate dhyāna to develop clarity and ethical continuity.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: subtle/ancestral sphere implied

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.89.52-53 (expansion of the salutation to cosmic leaders and Pitṛs)

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (Ancestors)

FAQs

What is the importance of Pitṛ worship in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames the Pitṛs as radiant, subtle (formless) beings worthy of reverence, supporting the Garuda Purana’s emphasis on honoring ancestors through remembrance and rites such as Śrāddha and tarpaṇa.

How does this verse explain the nature of the Pitṛs?

It describes them as amūrta (not grossly embodied) yet dīptatejas (luminous), and as dhyānin (contemplatives) with divyacakṣus (divine perception), indicating a subtle, spiritually elevated ancestral state.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Maintain gratitude and ethical living in the lineage, and observe ancestral remembrances (e.g., Śrāddha/tarpaṇa) with sincerity, seeing them as acts of reverence toward subtle, spiritually aware forebears.