Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 62

Akālamṛtyu: Preta-state Categories and the Nārāyaṇa-bali / Ekoddiṣṭa Remedy

Devanagari script

महादानानि देयानि तिलपात्रं तथेति च / ततो वैतरणी देया सर्वाभरणभूषिता

Transliteration

mahādānāni deyāni tilapātraṃ tatheti ca / tato vaitaraṇī deyā sarvābharaṇabhūṣitā

Translation

Dapat ibigay ang mga dakilang handog, at gayundin ang sisidlang handog ng linga. Pagkaraan, ibigay ang ‘Vaitaraṇī’—ang handog na baka upang matawid ang nakapanghihilakbot na ilog—na pinalamutian ng lahat ng alahas.

Word by Word

• mahā-dānāni: great donations
• mahā-dānāni: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); karmadhāraya: ‘great gifts’

• deyāni: are to be given
• deyāni: Vidhi (विधेय/आज्ञार्थ)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: Gerundive (यत्/अनीयर् sense; here ‘deya’), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); agrees with mahādānāni

• tila-pātram: sesame-vessel
• tila-pātram: Samuccita-padārtha (समुच्चित पदार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tila + pātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd—प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय)

• iti: thus
• iti: Vacana-marker (उद्धरणसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Quotative particle (इति-निपात)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Deśa-kāla (देश/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय)

• vaitaraṇī: (a cow named) Vaitaraṇī / Vaitaraṇī (gift)
• vaitaraṇī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaitaraṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• deyā: is to be given
• deyā: Vidhi (विधेय/आज्ञार्थ)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: Gerundive (देय), Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with vaitaraṇī

• sarva-ābharaṇa-bhūṣitā: adorned with all ornaments
• sarva-ābharaṇa-bhūṣitā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva + ābharaṇa + bhūṣita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: ‘adorned with all ornaments’ (instrumental sense implied)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vainateya)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Ekoddishta

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Śrāddha-associated gifting sequence (before/alongside rites; exact calendrical day not specified here).

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Mahādāna and Vaitaraṇī-dāna as karmic supports for the deceased’s safe passage.

Vedantic Theme: Ritual karma as upāya within saṃsāra; compassionate action directed toward the jīva’s post-mortem journey.

Application: When performing śrāddha/antyeṣṭi-related charities, include prescribed ‘great gifts’ and, where tradition permits, symbolic/actual Vaitaraṇī-dāna with devotional intent.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: river (otherworldly threshold)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana discussions of Vaitaraṇī river and the cow-gift as a crossing-aid (Pretakalpa motifs); Adjacent instruction sequence 2.40.61–65 on dāna → śrāddha → cremation → piṇḍa/annual rites

Characters & Entities

• Vaitaraṇī

FAQs

What is the importance of Vaitaraṇī dāna in Garuda Purana?

This verse presents Vaitaraṇī dāna as a key post-death gift: a specially adorned cow-gift intended to help the departed symbolically ‘cross’ the Vaitaraṇī river associated with Yama’s realm.

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

By prescribing staged gifts—mahādānas, tilapātra, and then Vaitaraṇī dāna—the verse frames the journey after death as supported by ritual merit (puṇya) and dharmic charity that aids the preta’s passage through difficult afterlife terrains.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform śrāddha-related charity with sincerity—especially food, essentials, and prescribed dānas through qualified channels—treating giving as dharma that supports remembrance, responsibility, and compassionate conduct.