Shloka 46

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

Devanagari script

महान्महात्मा महितो महिमावान्महाबलः / गणाः पञ्च तथैवैते पितॄणां पापनाशनाः

Transliteration

mahānmahātmā mahito mahimāvānmahābalaḥ / gaṇāḥ pañca tathaivaite pitṝṇāṃ pāpanāśanāḥ

Translation

మహాన్, మహాత్మ, మహిత, మహిమావాన్, మహాబల—ఇవి ఐదు గణములు; ఇవే పితృల పాపాలను నశింపజేయువి.

Word by Word

• महान्: great
• महान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• महात्मा: great-souled one
• महात्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महान् आत्मा)

• महितः: honoured
• महितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मह्/महि (धातु) + क्त (कृत्) → महित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (honoured)

• महिमावान्: possessing greatness
• महिमावान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महिमा (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (तद्धित) → महिमावत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; वत्-प्रत्ययान्त (possessive)

• महाबलः: of great strength
• महाबलः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत् पूर्वपद) + बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महद् बलम् यस्य/महद् बलः)

• गणाः: groups
• गणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (गणाः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• तथा: also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (indeed/just)

• एते: these
• एते: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

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

• पापनाशनाः: destroyers of sin
• पापनाशनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक; √नश् (धातु) + ल्युट्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पापस्य नाशनाः)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vainateya)

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Divine greatness (mahattva) coupled with the power to neutralize ancestral demerit; merit-transfer/benefit through devotion and rite.

Vedantic Theme: Grace operates within karma: remembrance of the Supreme as purifier; the ‘mahān’ principle as the highest refuge beyond limited agency.

Application: During śrāddha or remembrance days, recite these epithets with sankalpa for Pitṛ-śuddhi; pair with acts of charity to reinforce punya.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.89.47-48 (benefits for Pitṛs; satisfaction through offering)

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the importance of the 'five groups' (pañca gaṇaḥ) in Garuda Purana?

This verse states that these five revered groups are powerful and specifically described as destroyers of the sins of the Pitṛs, highlighting their role in ancestral purification within Pitṛ-dharma.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By emphasizing the cleansing of Pitṛ-related sins, it implies that ancestral purification and dharmic rites support a smoother post-death transition and well-being in the ancestral realm, a recurring concern in Garuda Purana’s afterlife framework.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Honor ancestors through ethically aligned living and traditional Pitṛ-kārya (such as Śrāddha/ancestral remembrance as per one’s tradition), since the text frames such supports as spiritually purifying for one’s lineage.