Shloka 11

Preta-bhāva: Causes, Remedies, and the Rationale of Post-death Rites

Question-Catalogue

Devanagari script

तिला लोहं हिरण्यं च कार्पासं लवणं तथा / सप्तधान्यं क्षितिर्गावो दीयते केन हे तुना

Transliteration

tilā lohaṃ hiraṇyaṃ ca kārpāsaṃ lavaṇaṃ tathā / saptadhānyaṃ kṣitirgāvo dīyate kena he tunā

Translation

งา เหล็ก ทองคำ ฝ้าย และเกลือ; ธัญพืชทั้งเจ็ด แผ่นดิน และโค—โอผู้ควรบูชา สิ่งเหล่านี้ถวายเป็นทานด้วยเหตุใด?

Word by Word

• tilāḥ: sesame seeds
• tilāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्

• loham: iron
• loham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्

• hiraṇyam: gold
• hiraṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hiraṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्

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

• kārpāsam: cotton
• kārpāsam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārpāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्

• lavaṇam: salt
• lavaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lavaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्

• tathā: likewise, also
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम् (adverb: ‘likewise/also’)

• sapta-dhānyam: the seven grains
• sapta-dhānyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sapta (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + dhānya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्; द्विगु-समासः (numerical compound)

• kṣitiḥ: earth, soil
• kṣitiḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣiti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्

• gāvaḥ: cows
• gāvaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्

• dīyate: is given
• dīyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धा-धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्

• kena: by whom? / by what means?
• kena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचनम्; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• he: O!
• he: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: he (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बोधन-अव्ययम् (vocative particle)

• tunā: indeed/then (particle)
• tunā: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय) + nā (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: निपात-द्वयम्; बलार्थ/प्रश्न-प्रवर्तक-अव्ययम् (emphatic/particle)

Speaker

Garuda (Vinata-putra) addressing Lord Vishnu

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Parvana

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Antyeṣṭi/uttara-kriyā and subsequent śrāddha sequence (contextual)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dāna as a dharmic instrument that transfers merit, removes obstacles, and supports the departed’s onward journey.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-kāṇḍa as preparatory purification (citta-śuddhi) aiding higher pursuit; impermanence of possessions and their sanctification through offering.

Application: When performing funerary/ancestral rites, give prescribed items with intention (saṅkalpa) and purity, prioritizing capacity and sincerity over display.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: ritual-space (gṛha/śmaśāna context implied)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa/Antyeṣṭi-vidhi sections on dāna of tila, loha, hiraṇya, lavaṇa, dhānya, go-dāna, bhū-dāna

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of donating sesame, iron, gold, cotton, salt, grains, land, and cows in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames these items as standard śrāddha/dāna materials and asks the underlying purpose—setting up the teaching that such gifts support rites for the departed and are prescribed as meritorious, tradition-backed donations.

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

Indirectly: it occurs in the Preta Kanda context where Garuda inquires about ritual supports for the departed; the verse signals that specific donations are connected to post-death observances and their intended effects, which are explained in the surrounding discourse.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

If performing śrāddha or memorial charity, follow dharmic guidance: give meaningful, useful essentials (food grains, clothing material, support for livelihood) with sincerity and right intention, rather than treating ritual giving as a mere formality.