Shloka 2

Preta-mārga Supports (Dāna), Chitragupta’s Accounting, and the Enumeration of Narakas

Devanagari script

तत्सर्वं च परिज्ञाय चित्रगुप्तो निवेदयेत् / चित्रगुप्तस्ततः सर्वं कर्म तस्मै वदत्यथ

Transliteration

tatsarvaṃ ca parijñāya citragupto nivedayet / citraguptastataḥ sarvaṃ karma tasmai vadatyatha

Translation

فبعد أن يتحقّق تشتراغوبتا (Chitragupta) من كلّ ذلك تمامًا، يرفع التقرير؛ ثمّ يشرع تشتراغوبتا في إخبار يَما (Yama) بجميع أعمال ذلك الكائن كلّها.

Word by Word

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-रूपम्

• sarvam: all (of it)
• sarvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• parijñāya: having fully known
• parijñāya: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√jñā (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्ययकृदन्तम् (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया—‘ज्ञात्वा’

• citraguptaḥ: Chitragupta
• citraguptaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citragupta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; व्यक्तिनाम

• nivedayet: should report/submit
• nivedayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√vid (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• citraguptaḥ: Chitragupta
• citraguptaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citragupta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम् (adverb)

• sarvam: all
• sarvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• karma: deed/action
• karma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• tasmai: to him
• tasmai: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-रूपम्

• vadati: says/tells
• vadati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vad (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• atha: then/now
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम् (particle/adverb: sequence)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: All actions are known, recorded, and presented; karmic order is precise and inescapable.

Vedantic Theme: Ṛta/dharma as moral causality; the jīva’s accountability under īśvara-niyama (divine governance).

Application: Cultivate ethical vigilance; perform daily self-review (svādhyāya) and corrective conduct before habits harden into destiny.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: court/assembly hall

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: Chitragupta’s record and Yama’s judgment motifs across preta-mārga and naraka descriptions

Characters & Entities

• Chitragupta
• Yama

FAQs

What is the importance of Chitragupta in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents Chitragupta as the karmic accountant who verifies and formally reports a person’s deeds to Yama, establishing the basis for post-death judgment.

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

It indicates a judicial sequence in Yama’s realm: deeds are examined, then reported to Yama—implying that the soul’s post-death experience follows an evaluation of karma rather than randomness.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with accountability: since actions are portrayed as fully known and reported, cultivate ethical conduct, truthful speech, and dharmic choices as daily discipline.