Shloka 28

Pitṛ-Stuti, Tarpaṇa, and the Ritual Power of Recitation in Śrāddha

Devanagari script

पितॄन्नमस्ये परमार्थभूता ये वै विमाने निवसन्त्यमूर्ताः / यजन्ति यानस्तमलैर्मनोभिर्योगीश्वराः क्लेशविमुक्तिहेतून्

Transliteration

pitṝnnamasye paramārthabhūtā ye vai vimāne nivasantyamūrtāḥ / yajanti yānastamalairmanobhiryogīśvarāḥ kleśavimuktihetūn

Translation

我顶礼诸位祖灵（Pitṛ）：安住于至上真实之境，居于天车（vimāna）而无形无身；彼等瑜伽自在者以无垢之心奉祀，成为解脱诸苦恼（klesa）之因。

Word by Word

• पितॄन्: the ancestors
• पितॄन्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• नमस्ये: I bow to
• नमस्ये: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नमस् (धातु: नम्)
• Form: लट्, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• परमार्थभूताः: who are of the highest truth/ultimate reality
• परमार्थभूताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम-अर्थ-भूत (प्रातिपदिक: परम + अर्थ + भूत)
• Form: भूत (कृदन्त; √भू, क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying पितरः understood)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (relative), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Emphasis
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• विमाने: in the celestial car/mansion
• विमाने: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विमान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• निवसन्ति: dwell
• निवसन्ति: Kriyā (Relative-clause verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निवस् (धातु: वस् with नि-)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• अमूर्ताः: formless
• अमूर्ताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमूर्त (प्रातिपदिक: अ- + मूर्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ये/पितरः)

• यजन्ति: they worship / perform sacrifice
• यजन्ति: Kriyā (New clause verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यज् (धातु: यज्)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• यान्: whom
• यान्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (relative), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; (refers to yogīśvarāḥ)

• तमलैः: with stainless
• तमलैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तमल (प्रातिपदिक: अ-तमल = without impurity; here 'tamala' as 'stainless')
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying मनोभिः)

• मनोभिः: with minds
• मनोभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• योगीश्वराः: lords among yogis
• योगीश्वराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगि-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक: योगिन् + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• क्लेशविमुक्तिहेतून्: causes of liberation from afflictions
• क्लेशविमुक्तिहेतून्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्लेश-विमुक्ति-हेतु (प्रातिपदिक: क्लेश + विमुक्ति + हेतु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Pure-minded inner worship (amala-manas) by yogic beings becomes a cause for release from kleśas; Pitṛs can be paradigms of liberated or liberation-aiding consciousness.

Vedantic Theme: Kleśa-kṣaya through antaḥkaraṇa-śuddhi and upāsanā; movement from ritual externality to internalized worship; proximity to paramārtha (ultimate reality).

Application: Cultivate mental purity alongside rites: meditation, ethical restraint, and devotion; treat śrāddha as also a practice of inner cleansing and remembrance leading toward freedom from afflictions.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: celestial vehicle/abode

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana passages linking śrāddha, Viṣṇu-bhakti, and mokṣa; Garuda Purana teachings on yoga, purity of mind, and liberation from kleśas

Characters & Entities

• Pitris
• Yogis (Yogishvaras)

FAQs

What is the importance of Pitṛs (ancestors) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents the Pitṛs as beings grounded in the highest truth and worthy of reverence; honoring them is aligned with purity, dharma, and the liberating spiritual path.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By linking pure-minded worship and yogic mastery with freedom from kleśas, the verse implies that inner purification and reverence for higher beings support the soul’s movement toward release rather than continued suffering.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Maintain mental purity (reduce tamas through ethical living, prayer, and discipline) and perform sincere ancestor reverence (e.g., śrāddha/tarpaṇa as appropriate) as supports for inner clarity and spiritual progress.