Shloka 16

Nāma-mahātmya: Liberation through Salutation, Chanting, and the Mantra “Namo Nārāyaṇāya”

Devanagari script

क्व नाकपृष्ठगमनं पुनरायाति न क्षयम् / गच्छतां दूरमध्वानं कृष्णमूर्छितचेतसाम्

Transliteration

kva nākapṛṣṭhagamanaṃ punarāyāti na kṣayam / gacchatāṃ dūramadhvānaṃ kṛṣṇamūrchitacetasām

Translation

Für jene, deren Geist verdunkelt und betäubt ist und die sich auf den langen, fernen Weg (des Todes) begeben, wo wäre da ein Gang in die Himmelswelten möglich — dorthin, wo es keine Rückkehr und keinen Sturz gibt?

Word by Word

• kva: where (is)
• kva: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक देशवाचक अव्यय

• nāka-pṛṣṭha-gamanam: going to heaven
• nāka-pṛṣṭha-gamanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāka (प्रातिपदिक) + pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + gamana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘नाकपृष्ठं गमनम्’ (going to heaven)

• punar: again
• punar: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, ‘again’

• āyāti: returns/comes back
• āyāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• kṣayam: destruction/decay
• kṣayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• gacchatām: of those going
• gacchatām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Present active participle), षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• dūram: far
• dūram: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dūra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbial accusative)

• adhvānam: path/journey
• adhvānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhvan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kṛṣṇa-mūrchita-cetasām: of those whose minds are absorbed in Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇa-mūrchita-cetasām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + mūrchita (प्रातिपदिक; √mūrch क्त) + cetas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘कृष्णे मूर्‍छितं चेतः येषाम्’ (whose minds are absorbed in Kṛṣṇa)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Without clarity of consciousness (non-stupefied mind), higher attainments are unlikely; mere movement on the post-mortem path does not guarantee stable heaven.

Vedantic Theme: Moha as bondage; necessity of sattva/awareness at the liminal moment; implicit critique of relying on mere merit without inner orientation.

Application: Cultivate lucidity and remembrance through regular sādhana so the mind is not 'mūrcchita' at crisis; prepare for death with disciplined attention and devotion.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: realm/region

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: descriptions of the long path after death and the consequences of moha/attachment (path imagery recurring in Pretakalpa)

Characters & Entities

• Svarga (Naka)

FAQs

What is the importance of ‘nākapṛṣṭhagamana’ (going to Svarga) in the Garuda Purana?

In this verse it functions as a benchmark of higher post-death attainment; Vishnu implies that a mind clouded by darkness and delusion is unfit for such an elevated destination.

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

It portrays the post-death passage as a ‘long, distant road’ and stresses that inner mental condition (cetas) shapes destiny—deluded consciousness leads away from stable, higher realms.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate clarity and sattva through ethical living, restraint, truthfulness, and devotion; a purified mind is presented as the prerequisite for auspicious outcomes after death.