Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 38

The Explanation of the Post-funeral Rites (Aurdhvadehika) and Related Matters

Devanagari script

आद्यं शवविशुद्ध्यर्थं कृत्वान्यच्च त्रिषोडशम् / पितृपाङ्क्तिविशुद्ध्यर्थं शताद्धैंन तु योजयेत्

Transliteration

ādyaṃ śavaviśuddhyarthaṃ kṛtvānyacca triṣoḍaśam / pitṛpāṅktiviśuddhyarthaṃ śatāddhaiṃna tu yojayet

Translation

پہلا عمل لاش کی طہارت کے لیے کر کے، پھر دیگر تریشودش (سولہ گانہ) اعمال بھی بجا لانے چاہییں۔ مگر صرف پِتروں کی پنگتی کی پاکیزگی کے لیے ‘شَتادھ’ (سو شرادھ) کو شامل نہ کرے۔

Word by Word

• ādyaṃ: the first
• ādyaṃ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ādya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. Sg.); ‘the first (rite)’

• śava-viśuddhi-artham: for the purification of the corpse
• śava-viśuddhi-artham: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śava (प्रातिपदिक) + viśuddhi (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. Sg.) प्रयोजनार्थे (for the sake of); तत्पुरुष: शवस्य विशुद्ध्यर्थम्

• kṛtvā: having performed
• kṛtvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘having done’

• anyat: another (rite)
• anyat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. Sg.)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• tri-ṣoḍaśam: the tri-ṣoḍaśa (forty-eight)
• tri-ṣoḍaśam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + ṣoḍaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. Sg.); द्विगु-समास: त्रयः षोडश (त्रिषोडश) = ‘forty-eight’ (a set/number)

• pitṛ-pāṅkti-viśuddhi-artham: for purification of the ancestral line/row
• pitṛ-pāṅkti-viśuddhi-artham: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + pāṅkti (प्रातिपदिक) + viśuddhi (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. Sg.) प्रयोजनार्थे; तत्पुरुष: पितॄणां पाङ्क्तेः विशुद्ध्यर्थम्

• śata-ardhaiḥ: by ‘hundred-halves’ (units of fifty)
• śata-ardhaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक) + ardha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया बहुवचन (Instr. Pl.); तत्पुरुष: शतस्य अर्धैः (by halves of a hundred)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• tu: but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थ (but/indeed)

• yojayet: should employ/arrange
• yojayet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yuj (युज् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष एकवचन; causative sense in usage: ‘should apply/arrange’

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda)

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Ekoddishta

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Immediately post-death sequence: initial śava-śuddhi rite followed by prescribed ṣoḍaśa set; śatāddha not to be appended merely as an add-on.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Perform the initial rite for śava-śuddhi and the prescribed sixteenfold set; do not add śatāddha merely as an extra for pitṛ-line purification.

Vedantic Theme: Ritual efficacy depends on vidhi (right measure), not on inflation of acts; niyama over excess.

Application: Complete the mandated sequence (ādya rite + ṣoḍaśa set) and avoid optional/extra rites unless specifically enjoined by one’s śākhā/ācārya.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: discussions of ṣoḍaśa-śrāddha and later sapīṇḍīkaraṇa logic (nearby verses)

Characters & Entities

• Pitris
• Shava (corpse)
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the importance of the ‘first rite’ and the sixteenfold set mentioned here?

This verse prioritizes the essential sequence: the initial purification rite connected with the body, followed by the prescribed sixteenfold funerary/śrāddha-related observances, indicating an ordered, dharmic procedure rather than arbitrary additions.

Does this verse recommend performing śatāddha for ancestor-line purification?

No. It explicitly says śatāddha should not be appended merely with the aim of purifying the Pitṛ lineage; the required rites are the initial purification and the triṣoḍaśa (sixteenfold) set.

Practical application of this guidance today for Garuda Purana death rituals?

Follow the traditionally prescribed sequence under competent guidance (family priest/ācārya) and avoid adding large, costly rites solely out of anxiety; focus on correct performance of the core antyeṣṭi and śrāddha duties.