Shloka 53

Ahaṅkāra-Tripartition and the Rise of Indriyas, Devatās, and Cosmic Administrators

Devanagari script

गङ्गाद्यनन्तरं जज्ञे स्वाहा वै मन्त्रदेवता / स्वाहानामाग्निभार्योक्ता गङ्गादिभ्योधमा श्रुता

Transliteration

gaṅgādyanantaraṃ jajñe svāhā vai mantradevatā / svāhānāmāgnibhāryoktā gaṅgādibhyodhamā śrutā

Translation

Sau Gaṅgā và các vị khác, Svāhā được sinh ra—chính là nữ thần chủ trì các lễ hiến dâng bằng thần chú. Svāhā được nói là hiền thê của Agni; và được nghe rằng nàng là bậc tối thắng trong số những vị bắt đầu từ Gaṅgā.

Word by Word

• गङ्गादि: after/from Gaṅgā and the others
• गङ्गादि: Apadana (अपादान/Ablative source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन (अव्ययीभाव-प्राय प्रयोगे); अर्थ: 'from Gaṅgā etc.'

• अनन्तरम्: immediately after
• अनन्तरम्: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) 'immediately after'

• जज्ञे: was born/arose
• जज्ञे: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• स्वाहा: Svāhā
• स्वाहा: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वाहा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नाम

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/निश्चयार्थक (particle: 'indeed')

• मन्त्रदेवता: the deity of mantras
• मन्त्रदेवता: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र + देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (मन्त्रस्य देवता)

• स्वाहानामा: named Svāhā
• स्वाहानामा: Karta (कर्ता/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वाहा + नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; 'नाम' (नामन्-शब्द) समास/प्रयोग: 'named Svāhā'

• अग्निभार्योक्ता: called the wife of Agni
• अग्निभार्योक्ता: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अग्नि + भार्या + उक्ता (कृदन्त; √वच् धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अग्नेः भार्या) + भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त 'उक्ता'

• गङ्गादिभ्यः: than Gaṅgā and the others
• गङ्गादिभ्यः: Apadana (अपादान/Comparison-source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष 'गङ्गा-आदि' + भ्यस्

• अधमा: the lowest/last
• अधमा: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• श्रुता: is known/said to be
• श्रुता: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रुत (कृदन्त; √श्रु धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP) 'heard/known'

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Mantra and offering become efficacious through proper invocation (Svāhā) and the mediating fire (Agni); devotion expressed as disciplined ritual speech and act.

Vedantic Theme: Vāk (sacred speech) as śakti; karma-kāṇḍa as a preparatory purifier (citta-śuddhi) supporting higher realization.

Application: Perform offerings—literal or symbolic—with mindful speech: dedicate actions, conclude intentions with a conscious ‘offering’ attitude.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: ritual-site

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: sections on dāna, homa, and ritual merit where Agni is the carrier and mantra correctness is stressed; Garuda Purana: śrāddha passages where fire/offerings and mantras support ancestral rites (contextual)

Characters & Entities

• Ganga
• Svaha
• Agni

FAQs

What is the importance of Svāhā in the Garuda Purana?

This verse identifies Svāhā as the mantradevatā—the presiding power of mantra-offerings—highlighting that oblations in fire-sacrifice are ritually completed through the Svāhā-formula.

How does this verse connect mantra, Agni, and offering?

By calling Svāhā the wife of Agni and the deity of mantra-offerings, the verse presents a ritual theology: Agni carries the offering, while Svāhā is the sanctifying utterance that directs it to the intended deity.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

In homa, śrāddha-related fires, or daily offerings, pronounce mantras carefully and end oblations with “svāhā” with attention and purity, treating it as a meaningful invocation rather than a mere word.