Shloka 15

Dāna for the Preta: Supreme Gifts, Yama’s Pacification, and Viṣṇu-Smaraṇa at the Time of Death

Devanagari script

कर्पासस्य तु दानेन न भूतेभ्यो भयं भवेत् / तारयन्ति नरं गावस्त्रिविधाश्चैव पातकात्

Transliteration

karpāsasya tu dānena na bhūtebhyo bhayaṃ bhavet / tārayanti naraṃ gāvastrividhāścaiva pātakāt

Translation

பருத்தி தானம் செய்தால் பூதாதி தீங்கு தரும் உயிர்களால் பயம் இல்லை. அதுபோல மூன்று வகை பசுக்கள் மனிதனைப் பாவத்திலிருந்து மீட்கின்றன.

Word by Word

• karpāsasya: of cotton
• karpāsasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karpāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle)

• dānena: by giving (as a gift)
• dānena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपातः

• bhūtebhyaḥ: from beings/spirits
• bhūtebhyaḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान) बहुवचन (or चतुर्थी in sense of 'to beings'); here source/ablative sense

• bhayaṃ: fear
• bhayaṃ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• bhavet: would arise/be
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• tārayanti: they ferry/save
• tārayanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tṝ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• naraṃ: a man/person
• naraṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• gāvaḥ: cows
• gāvaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• trividhāḥ: threefold/of three kinds
• trividhāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + vidha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः (त्रयः विधाः यस्याः/ये) विशेषणम् (गावः)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपातः (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपातः (emphatic particle)

• pātakāt: from sin
• pātakāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Protective merit: certain dānas avert fear of harmful beings and cleanse pāpa; go-dāna is especially salvific.

Vedantic Theme: Ethical action (karma) as purifier of antaḥkaraṇa and as harmonizer with dharma’s cosmic order.

Application: Donate cotton (clothing/blankets) and support cow-protection or ethical dairy shelters; pair giving with repentance and resolve to avoid harmful acts.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.30: sequence of dānas and their phala (2.30.14–17)

Characters & Entities

• Bhutas
• Gavah (Cows)

FAQs

What is the importance of cotton donation (karpāsa-dāna) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that giving cotton is a protective charity that removes fear of bhūtas (harmful spirit-beings), making it a recommended dāna for peace and safety.

How does this verse relate to sins and their removal in the Garuda Purana?

It teaches that certain meritorious gifts function as spiritual safeguards: cow-related merit (threefold cows) is said to ‘deliver’ a person from pātaka—sin and its consequences.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform charity with clear intention: donate cotton/cloth or support cow-care ethically, using the act as a discipline of compassion and purification rather than mere transaction.