Shloka 3

Tīrtha-Māhātmya: Catalog of Sacred Places and the Supreme Inner Tīrtha

Devanagari script

सेवनात्कृतपिण्डानां पापजित्कामदं नृणाम् / वाराणसी परं तीर्थं विश्वेशो यत्र केशवः

Transliteration

sevanātkṛtapiṇḍānāṃ pāpajitkāmadaṃ nṛṇām / vārāṇasī paraṃ tīrthaṃ viśveśo yatra keśavaḥ

Translation

ด้วยการน้อมรับและสักการะปิณฑะที่ถวายตามพิธี จึงเป็นผู้ชนะบาปและประทานความปรารถนาแก่ชนทั้งหลาย พาราณสีเป็นทีรถะสูงสุด ที่ซึ่งวิศเวศะ (ศิวะ) สถิต และเกศวะ (วิษณุ) ก็ประทับอยู่ด้วย

Word by Word

• sevanāt: from (its) service
• sevanāt: Hetu (Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sevanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (fem. ablative singular); हेतौ (cause: ‘from/by service’)

• kṛta-piṇḍānām: of those who have offered piṇḍas
• kṛta-piṇḍānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛta (√kṛ, धातु + kta) + piṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (‘made’ + ‘funeral rice-balls’) (genitive plural)

• pāpa-jit: sin-destroying
• pāpa-jit: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa + jit (√ji, धातु; कृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (उपपद: ‘conquering sin’); अत्र विशेषणरूपेण (as adjective)

• kāma-dam: wish-fulfilling
• kāma-dam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāma + da (√dā, धातु) + a (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (‘giver of desires’) (neuter accusative singular; qualifying tīrtham understood)

• nṛṇām: of men
• nṛṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (masc. genitive plural)

• vārāṇasī: Vārāṇasī
• vārāṇasī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārāṇasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (fem. nominative singular)

• param: supreme
• param: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neuter nom./acc. singular; agreeing with tīrtham)

• tīrtham: pilgrimage place
• tīrtham: Karta (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom./acc. singular)

• viśveśaḥ: Viśveśa (Lord of the universe)
• viśveśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśveśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masc. nominative singular)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक सम्बन्धबोधक अव्यय (relative adverb ‘where’)

• keśavaḥ: Keśava (Viṣṇu)
• keśavaḥ: Karta (Co-subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: keśava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masc. nominative singular)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Svarga

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Parvana

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Śrāddha occasions (amāvāsyā, parva days, annual tithi) and especially when undertaken at Kāśī ghāṭs

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Śrāddha/piṇḍa offerings, when properly performed, confer pāpa-kṣaya and kāma-siddhi; sacred place amplifies rite; divine presence sanctifies action.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-śuddhi as preparation for liberation; unity of the divine (Hari-Hara-sāmarasya) hinted by co-abidance of Śiva and Viṣṇu in the same kṣetra.

Application: Perform śrāddha with correctness (mantra, śraddhā, purity) and dedicate merit; if in Kāśī, combine offerings with darśana of Viśveśa and Keśava, and cultivate inner detachment alongside ritual.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: city/tīrtha-kṣetra

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: extensive Śrāddha instructions and piṇḍa-dāna phala passages; Garuda Purana: tīrtha-māhātmya praising Kāśī and other mokṣa-kṣetras

Characters & Entities

• Varanasi (Kashi)
• Vishvesha (Shiva)
• Keshava (Vishnu)
• Pinda (piṇḍa-offering)

FAQs

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

This verse states that properly made piṇḍa-offerings, when partaken/accepted in the sacred context, are sin-destroying (pāpajit) and can grant desired results (kāmada), highlighting piṇḍa-dāna as a potent śrāddha-related rite.

How does this verse connect Kashi (Varanasi) with liberation-oriented rites?

It declares Vārāṇasī the supreme tīrtha and emphasizes the sanctity of performing rites there due to the presence of both Viśveśa (Śiva) and Keśava (Viṣṇu), framing Kashi as an exceptionally efficacious place for ancestral and merit-giving observances.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform śrāddha/piṇḍa-dāna with correctness and devotion—especially at highly revered tīrthas when possible—and cultivate ethical living alongside ritual, since the verse links right performance with purification (sin-removal) and auspicious outcomes.