Shloka 20

Post-cremation Ripening of Karma and the Principal Narakas

Devanagari script

हिमखण्डवहो वायुभिनत्त्यस्थीनि दारुणः / मज्जासृगस्थिगलितमश्रन्त्यत्र क्षुधान्विताः

Transliteration

himakhaṇḍavaho vāyubhinattyasthīni dāruṇaḥ / majjāsṛgasthigalitamaśrantyatra kṣudhānvitāḥ

Translation

Ein schrecklicher Wind, der Eissplitter mit sich führt, spaltet ihre Knochen. Hier, von Hunger geplagt, lecken sie auf, was aus Mark, Blut und Knochen tropft und schmilzt.

Word by Word

• hima-khaṇḍa-vahaḥ: carrying ice-chunks
• hima-khaṇḍa-vahaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hima (प्रातिपदिक) + khaṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + vaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (हिमखण्डान् वहति = carrying chunks of ice)

• vāyuḥ: wind
• vāyuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• bhinatti: splits, breaks
• bhinatti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhid (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• asthīni: bones
• asthīni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asthi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• dāruṇaḥ: terrible
• dāruṇaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dāruṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (vāyuḥ)

• majjā-sṛk-asthi-galitam: melted marrow, blood, and bone (matter)
• majjā-sṛk-asthi-galitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: majjā (प्रातिपदिक) + sṛk/sṛj (प्रातिपदिक; रक्त/रुधिरार्थे) + asthi (प्रातिपदिक) + galita (कृदन्त, √gal)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्व (मज्जा+सृक्+अस्थि) ततः तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय (…गलितम् = melted/oozing)

• aśranti: eat, consume
• aśranti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: aś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• atra: here (in that place)
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (here/therein)

• kṣudhā-anvitāḥ: possessed of hunger
• kṣudhā-anvitāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣudhā (प्रातिपदिक) + anvita (कृदन्त, √i/anu-√i in sense 'endowed with')
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (क्षुधया अन्विताः = endowed with hunger)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Naraka

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Karmic suffering can invert natural supports (wind, cold) into instruments of punishment; craving (kṣudhā) drives degrading acts.

Vedantic Theme: Bondage through vāsanā: hunger/craving symbolizes unresolved desire; the jīva is compelled by past impressions into painful compulsions.

Application: Train desire through moderation (niyama), generosity, and ethical livelihood; reflect on consequences of greed/violence that harden into vāsanā.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: raudra

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: graphic naraka imagery used as deterrent (bhaya-pradarśana) and moral instruction.

Characters & Entities

• Pretas
• Yama

FAQs

What does this verse describe in the Garuda Purana?

It depicts a specific torment in Yama’s domain: an icy, bone-splitting wind and the extreme hunger of pretas, emphasizing the harsh consequences of sinful karma.

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

It reflects the Garuda Purana’s teaching that, after death, the jiva experiences results of karma in subtle form—here shown as punitive environments in Yama’s realm affecting the preta condition.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with restraint and dharma to avoid harmful karma, and uphold prescribed śrāddha/pinda-dāna duties for ancestors as a traditional means of supporting the departed in the preta phase.