Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 66

Vṛṣotsarga (Bull-Release Gift): Procedure, Merit, and Narratives on Dharma, Karma, and Liberation

Devanagari script

गोदावरी दण्डकञ्च ताम्रचूडं सदोदकम् / द्यावाभूमीश्वरं दृष्ट्वा श्रीशैलः पर्वतेश्वरः

Transliteration

godāvarī daṇḍakañca tāmracūḍaṃ sadodakam / dyāvābhūmīśvaraṃ dṛṣṭvā śrīśailaḥ parvateśvaraḥ

Translation

他得见戈达瓦里河、檀陀迦林与常盈之水的塔姆拉楚达；又在瞻仰天地之主后，抵达室利赛罗——群山之王。

Word by Word

• गोदावरी: Godāvarī (river)
• गोदावरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोदावरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नदी-नाम

• दण्डकम्: Daṇḍaka (forest/region)
• दण्डकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्डक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; वन/प्रदेश-नाम (Daṇḍaka forest)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (and)

• ताम्रचूडम्: Tāmracūḍa (place/peak)
• ताम्रचूडम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ताम्र (प्रातिपदिक) + चूड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (ताम्रा चूडा यस्य/ताम्रचूडः) स्थान/तीर्थ-नाम

• सदोदकम्: ever-watered, always with water
• सदोदकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सदा (अव्यय) + उदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव (सदा उदकं यस्मिन्/यत्) = always with water

• द्यावाभूमीश्वरम्: lord of heaven and earth
• द्यावाभूमीश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्यावा (प्रातिपदिक) + भूमी (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (द्यावाभूम्योः ईश्वरः)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): having seen

• श्रीशैलः: Śrīśaila (mountain)
• श्रीशैलः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + शैल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (श्रीमान् शैलः / श्री-शैलः) पर्वत-नाम

• पर्वतेश्वरः: lord of mountains
• पर्वतेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पर्वतानाम् ईश्वरः)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (to Garuda)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Darśana (seeing) of the Lord transforms the journey; sacred nature (river/forest/mountain) becomes a ladder for devotion and inner elevation.

Vedantic Theme: Īśvara as Dyāvābhūmīśvara (Lord of heaven and earth) indicating cosmic sovereignty; pilgrimage as upāya for citta-śuddhi and devotion.

Application: Approach natural sacred sites with disciplined conduct (silence, non-harm), seek darśana with humility, and integrate ‘seeing the divine in nature’ into daily life.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: river/forest/mountain tīrtha

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.6 (tīrtha itinerary continuing to Veṅkaṭādri in 2.6.67)

Characters & Entities

• Godavari
• Dandaka
• Tamracuda
• Sriśaila
• Dyāvābhūmīśvara

FAQs

What is the importance of sacred geography (tirthas) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse lists revered rivers, forests, and mountains, indicating that specific tirthas are spiritually potent locations where merit is gained and ancestral rites are traditionally performed with greater efficacy.

How does this verse connect to the path of the soul in the Preta Kanda context?

In the Preta Kanda’s broader teaching on post-death rites, such place-names function as a map of sanctified zones where the living support the departed through śrāddha and offerings, reinforcing the idea that dharmic acts in holy places aid the preta’s onward journey.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat pilgrimage and ritual as disciplined dharma: if visiting tirthas like the Godavari or Śrīśaila, perform charity, japa, and (when appropriate) śrāddha/pinda offerings with sincerity rather than as mere tourism.