Shloka 17

Yama-mārga (Adhvan) and the Courts of Yama: Vaivasvatī and Chitragupta

Devanagari script

योजनानां सहस्रं वै प्रमाणेन तदुच्यते / सर्वरत्नमयं दिव्यं विद्युज्ज्वालार्कतैजसम्

Transliteration

yojanānāṃ sahasraṃ vai pramāṇena taducyate / sarvaratnamayaṃ divyaṃ vidyujjvālārkataijasam

Translation

Ihr Maß wird mit tausend Yojanas angegeben. Sie ist göttlich, aus allen Arten von Edelsteinen gefügt und strahlt im Glanz von Blitz, Flamme und Sonne.

Word by Word

• योजनानाम्: of yojanas
• योजनानाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• सहस्रम्: a thousand
• सहस्रम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• प्रमाणेन: by measure; in extent
• प्रमाणेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; साधन/हेतु-भावे

• तत्: that (city)
• तत्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘तत् (पुरम्)’

• उच्यते: is said/called
• उच्यते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• सर्वरत्नमयम्: made of all kinds of gems
• सर्वरत्नमयम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-रत्न-मय (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: सर्व + रत्न + मय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of ‘तत्’/‘पुरम्’)

• दिव्यम्: divine; splendid
• दिव्यम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• विद्युत्: lightning
• विद्युत्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्युत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समास-पूर्वपद (in compound)

• ज्वाला: flame
• ज्वाला: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्वाला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समास-पूर्वपद (in compound)

• अर्क: sun
• अर्क: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समास-पूर्वपद (in compound)

• तैजसम्: radiant; luminous
• तैजसम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक) + अण् (तैजस)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of ‘पुरम्’)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The realm of judgment is vast and brilliantly manifest; nothing remains hidden under the ‘sun-light’ of dharma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma as प्रकाश (illumination): karmic truth becomes evident; the cosmos reflects moral causality.

Application: Live transparently; cultivate conscience as inner ‘light’—assume deeds will be revealed and measured.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: measured cosmic city

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: further descriptions of Yama’s city, radiance, and measurements; Garuda Purana: cosmographic measurement idioms (yojana) used for other realms too

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of describing measurements like “a thousand yojanas” in the Garuda Purana?

It conveys the vast, otherworldly scale of Yama’s realm, reinforcing that the post-death journey and its domains are not ordinary human spaces but part of a cosmic order governed by dharma.

How does this verse explain the nature of the afterlife realm?

By emphasizing jewel-like composition and intense radiance (lightning, flame, sun), the verse portrays the realm as a powerful, luminous divine structure—suggesting awe, authority, and inevitability in the soul’s encounter with cosmic justice.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Reflect on the vastness of moral consequence: live with dharma and restraint, remembering that actions have results beyond this life, and let that awareness shape ethical choices and reverence for traditional rites.