Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 3

Praise of Vṛṣotsarga (Bull-release), Worthy Dāna, and the Procedure for Kṣayāha & Ūrdhva-daihika Rites

Devanagari script

मृतस्यैव पुनर्लक्षं विधिपूतं च तत्समम् / तीर्थपात्रसमायोगादेका गौर्लक्षपुण्यदा

Transliteration

mṛtasyaiva punarlakṣaṃ vidhipūtaṃ ca tatsamam / tīrthapātrasamāyogādekā gaurlakṣapuṇyadā

Translation

Đối với người đã qua đời, công đức lại tăng lên đến một trăm nghìn lần; và khi được thanh tịnh bởi nghi lễ đúng pháp thì hiệu lực cũng tương đương như vậy. Nhờ sự hội tụ của thánh địa (tīrtha) và người thọ nhận xứng đáng, chỉ một con bò cũng ban công đức trăm nghìn.

Word by Word

• mṛtasya: of a dead person
• mṛtasya: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛ (धातु) → mṛta (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (of the dead person)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• punar: again/further
• punar: Sambandha (Additive)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति/पुनः (again/further)

• lakṣam: a hundred thousand
• lakṣam: Pratimana (Comparative measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣa (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• vidhipūtam: sanctified by proper procedure
• vidhipūtam: Visheshana (Qualifier of [dānam] implied)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक) + pūta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (vidhinā pūtam = purified by proper rite)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Determiner)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• samam: equal
• samam: Pradhana (Predicate: equal)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (equal)

• tīrthapātrasamāyogāt: due to the conjunction of sacred place and worthy recipient
• tīrthapātrasamāyogāt: Hetu (Cause: due to association)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + pātra (प्रातिपदिक) + samāyoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (tīrthasya pātrasya samāyogaḥ)

• ekā: one
• ekā: Visheshana (Qualifier of gauḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• gauḥ: cow
• gauḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• lakṣapuṇyadā: giver of a lakh of merit
• lakṣapuṇyadā: Visheshana (Predicate adjective of gauḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lakṣa (संख्याप्रातिपदिक) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + dā (धातु) → dā (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (lakṣaṃ puṇyaṃ dadāti)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Merit increases enormously for offerings connected to the departed and when purified by proper rite; tīrtha and worthy recipient can make even one cow yield lakṣa-puṇya.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-kāṇḍa as purifier and supporter of higher pursuit; śraddhā + vidhi as channels of subtle efficacy; the departed (preta/pitṛ) as recipients through dharmic mediation.

Application: When performing gifts for ancestors or in memory of the dead, prioritize correct procedure, sacred setting (or sanctified intention), and worthy recipients; quality of context can outweigh quantity.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: sacred place

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: extensive śrāddha/dāna discussions where tīrtha, kāla (time), pātra, and śraddhā multiply results; Garuda Purana 2.14.4 (pātra-dāna increases day by day)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• the deceased (preta)

FAQs

What is the importance of tīrtha and pātra in Garuda Purana death rituals?

This verse states that when charity for the departed is performed according to proper procedure and offered at a sacred place to a worthy recipient, its spiritual efficacy multiplies greatly—making even a single go-dāna yield vast merit.

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

It implies that post-death support through correctly performed śrāddha-related dāna can strengthen the departed’s welfare, because merit is understood to be transferable/beneficial when rites are done with proper sanctity (vidhi) and correct context (tīrtha–pātra).

Practical application of this wisdom today?

If performing śrāddha or memorial charity, prioritize correctness of rite, sincerity, and an appropriate recipient; even a modest offering—done properly—can be considered highly meaningful in the Garuda Purana’s framework.