Shloka 21

Vṛṣotsarga as Prerequisite for Śrāddha: Eligibility, Timing, Purification, and the Urgency of Dharma

Devanagari script

गोभूहिरण्यवासांसि भोजनानि पादनि च / यत्रयत्र वसेज्जन्तुस्तत्रतत्रोपतिष्ठति

Transliteration

gobhūhiraṇyavāsāṃsi bhojanāni pādani ca / yatrayatra vasejjantustatratatropatiṣṭhati

Translation

గోవులు, భూమి, బంగారం, వస్త్రాలు, భోజనం, పాదుకలు—జీవి ఎక్కడెక్కడ నివసిస్తాడో లేదా ప్రయాణిస్తాడో అక్కడక్కడ ఇవి సహాయంగా ప్రత్యక్షమవుతాయి।

Word by Word

• गोभूहिरण्यवासांसि: cows, land, gold, and garments
• गोभूहिरण्यवासांसि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + भू (प्रातिपदिक) + हिरण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + वासस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व (collective copulative)

• भोजनानि: foods, meals
• भोजनानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• पादनि: feet (i.e., foot-service/footwear; lit. feet)
• पादनि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (पादानि इति अपेक्षितम्; पाठे 'पादनि')

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

• यत्रयत्र: wherever
• यत्रयत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb), पुनरुक्ति (reduplication)

• वसेत्: may dwell, resides
• वसेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• जन्तुः: a being, creature
• जन्तुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तत्रतत्र: there and there (in each such place)
• तत्रतत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb), पुनरुक्ति

• उपतिष्ठति: attends, is present, follows
• उपतिष्ठति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinatā-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dana of foundational supports (cows, land, gold, clothing, food, footwear) becomes an abiding aid; merit manifests as support wherever the jantu resides or travels.

Vedantic Theme: Subtle continuity of karma across places and conditions; external gifts translate into internal/storehouse merit that ‘arrives’ when needed.

Application: Prioritize gifts that remove hardship (food, clothing, footwear) and sustain livelihood (cows/land); give in ways that create ongoing support.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana dana sections: gifts as ‘companions’ of the soul; merit as the true wealth that follows (general thematic parallel).

Characters & Entities

• Jantu (departed being)

FAQs

What is the importance of dāna (charity) in the Garuda Purana’s after-death teachings?

This verse states that specific donations—cow, land, gold, clothing, food, and footwear—manifest as assistance wherever the departed being abides or travels, indicating that dāna converts into practical support on the post-death path.

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

It implies the soul’s journey involves multiple stations (“wherever he resides”), and that meritorious gifts made in life (or on behalf of the deceased) can ‘attend’ the jantu at each stage as sustaining aids rather than remaining only as worldly transactions.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform charity with clear intention—supporting food, clothing, and essential needs (symbolized here by food, garments, footwear), and traditional dānas when appropriate—while living ethically, since the Purāṇic view treats such giving as transferable merit and support.