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Shloka 12

Karma, Varṇa-Dharma, and Dāna as the Soul’s True Companion on the Path to Yama

Devanagari script

दानं प्रदत्तं ग्रहणे द्विजेन्द्रे स्नानं कृतं तेन सदा सुतीर्थे / गत्वा गयायां पितृपिण्डदानं कृतं सदा यो म्रियते तु युद्धे

Transliteration

dānaṃ pradattaṃ grahaṇe dvijendre snānaṃ kṛtaṃ tena sadā sutīrthe / gatvā gayāyāṃ pitṛpiṇḍadānaṃ kṛtaṃ sadā yo mriyate tu yuddhe

Translation

ผู้ใดได้ถวายทานแก่ทวิชะผู้ประเสริฐในยามคราส ได้อาบน้ำ ณ ตีรถะอันศักดิ์สิทธิ์เป็นนิตย์ และได้ไปยังคยาเพื่อถวายปิณฑะบูชาแก่บรรพชนตามพิธี—หากผู้นั้นสิ้นชีวิตในสนามรบ ย่อมได้บุญกุศลสูงสุด

Word by Word
dānamgift/charity
dānam:
Karma (कर्म; with 'pradattam')
TypeNoun
Rootdāna (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन)
pradattamgiven
pradattam:
Kriyā (क्रिया; predicate)
TypeVerb
Rootpra-√dā (धातु)
FormPast passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative Singular; agrees with 'dānam'
grahaṇeat an eclipse
grahaṇe:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootgrahaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)
dvijendrein/for the best of Brahmins
dvijendre:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootdvija (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); 'dvijānām indraḥ' (best of Brahmins)
snānambath
snānam:
Karma (कर्म; with 'kṛtam')
TypeNoun
Rootsnāna (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative, Singular (एकवचन)
kṛtamdone/performed
kṛtam:
Kriyā (क्रिया; predicate)
TypeVerb
Root√kṛ (धातु)
FormPast passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative Singular; agrees with 'snānam' (and later with 'pitṛpiṇḍadānam')
tenaby him
tena:
Karta/Instrument (कर्ता/करण)
TypeNoun
Roottad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
FormInstrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)
sadāalways
sadā:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootsadā (अव्यय)
FormAdverb (नित्यत्ववाचक-अव्यय)
su-tīrtheat a holy place
su-tīrthe:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootsu (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; कर्मधारय—'śobhanaṃ tīrtham' (holy ford/place)
gatvāhaving gone
gatvā:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; prior action)
TypeVerb
Root√gam (धातु)
FormAbsolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा), indeclinable verbal
gayāyāmin Gayā
gayāyām:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootgayā (प्रातिपदिक)
FormFeminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)
pitṛ-piṇḍa-dānamancestor rice-ball offering
pitṛ-piṇḍa-dānam:
Karma (कर्म; with 'kṛtam')
TypeNoun
Rootpitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + piṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative, Singular; तत्पुरुष—'pitṝṇāṃ piṇḍadānam' (offering rice-balls to ancestors)
kṛtamdone
kṛtam:
Kriyā (क्रिया; predicate)
TypeVerb
Root√kṛ (धातु)
FormPast passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative Singular; agrees with 'pitṛpiṇḍadānam'
sadāalways
sadā:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootsadā (अव्यय)
FormAdverb (नित्यत्ववाचक-अव्यय)
yaḥwho
yaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootyad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; relative pronoun
mriyatedies
mriyate:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√mṛ (धातु)
FormPresent (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)
tubut/indeed
tu:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
TypeIndeclinable
Roottu (अव्यय)
FormParticle (विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात)
yuddhein battle
yuddhe:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootyuddha (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)
Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vainateya)

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Parvana

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Grahaṇa-kāla (eclipse time) for dāna; Gayā pilgrimage occasion for piṇḍa-dāna; ongoing tīrtha-snāna as regular practice

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Merit is intensified by sacred timing (grahaṇa), sacred place (tīrtha, especially Gayā), and ancestral offerings; such accumulated puṇya elevates the fruit of a warrior’s death.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala hierarchy: deśa-kāla-pātra (place-time-recipient) refine the potency of acts; purification supports higher post-mortem destiny.

Application: Perform charity on sacred occasions with discernment; maintain tīrtha-snāna as a vow of purification; fulfill pitṛ obligations through śrāddha/piṇḍa-dāna, especially at renowned tīrthas.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: tirtha

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana sections praising Gayā-śrāddha and piṇḍa-dāna fruits; Garuda Purana instructions on parva-kāla (eclipse) dāna and tīrtha-snāna

Characters & Entities
P
Pitris
B
Brāhmaṇa (Dvija)

FAQs

This verse treats Gayā piṇḍa-dāna as a high-merit ancestral rite; performing it is presented as a powerful puṇya that supports auspicious outcomes even at the time of death.

By emphasizing puṇya from dāna, tīrtha-snāna, and Pitṛ offerings, the verse implies that accumulated merit shapes the post-death journey toward favorable realms rather than distressful states described elsewhere in the Preta Kanda.

Prioritize ethical generosity, perform ancestral remembrance/śrāddha when appropriate, and undertake pilgrimage or sacred bathing with sincerity—treating these as disciplines that cultivate responsibility to society and lineage.

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