Shloka 19

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

Devanagari script

वृतं स्तम्भसहस्रैस्तु वैदूर्यमणिमण्डितम् / मुक्ताजालगवाक्षं च पताकाशतभूषितम्

Transliteration

vṛtaṃ stambhasahasraistu vaidūryamaṇimaṇḍitam / muktājālagavākṣaṃ ca patākāśatabhūṣitam

Translation

Sie war von Tausenden Säulen umgeben, mit Vaidūrya-Edelsteinen (Katzenauge) geschmückt; sie besaß gitterartige Fenster, mit Perlengeflecht bespannt, und war mit Hunderten von Bannern geziert.

Word by Word

• वृतम्: surrounded
• वृतम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √वृ (धातु) → वृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (covered/surrounded)

• स्तम्भसहस्रैः: by thousands of pillars
• स्तम्भसहस्रैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तम्भ + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (स्तम्भानां सहस्रैः)

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphasis/contrast particle)

• वैदूर्यमणिमण्डितम्: adorned with vaidūrya (cat’s-eye) gems
• वैदूर्यमणिमण्डितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैदूर्य + मणि + मण्डित (√मण्ड्/मण्ड्? → मण्डित, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (adorned with vaidūrya-gems)

• मुक्ताजालगवाक्षम्: having windows with pearl-netting
• मुक्ताजालगवाक्षम्: Viśeṣya/Pradhāna (Described entity/Head)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ता + जाल + गवाक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (मुक्ताजालैः युक्ताः गवाक्षाः यस्य)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• पताकाशतभूषितम्: decorated with hundreds of banners
• पताकाशतभूषितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पताका + शत + भूषित (√भूष्, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (पताकानां शतेन भूषितम्)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Karmic governance is not chaotic but ordered and regal; the moral universe is administered with sovereign grandeur.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma as an impersonal-cosmic principle manifesting through divine administration; saṁsāra’s lawfulness.

Application: Let the mind internalize accountability: cultivate sattva through truth, non-harm, and self-control.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: royal audience hall

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: further descriptions of Yama’s court, attendants, and the recording of deeds (Citragupta motif)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of describing jeweled halls and banners in the Garuda Purana?

Such imagery signals an otherworldly, karmically-governed realm—structured, majestic, and orderly—where the departed encounter results administered under cosmic law rather than random fate.

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

By depicting a grand, ornamented enclosure with pillars, latticed windows, and banners, the text frames the after-death journey as entry into a formally arranged domain (often understood as Yama’s administration), where the soul’s next experiences are assessed and directed.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Remembering that the afterlife is portrayed as rule-bound and consequence-oriented encourages dharmic living now—truthfulness, restraint, and charity—so one’s post-death passage is guided by merit rather than fear.