Shloka 27
Yama-mārga (Adhvan) and the Courts of Yama: Vaivasvatī and Chitragupta
मणिमुक्तामये दिव्ये आसने परमाद्भुते / तत्रस्थो गणयत्यायुर्मानुषेष्वितरेषु च
maṇimuktāmaye divye āsane paramādbhute / tatrastho gaṇayatyāyurmānuṣeṣvitareṣu ca
Dort sitzt er auf einem göttlichen, höchst wunderbaren Thron aus Edelsteinen und Perlen und berechnet die Lebensspanne — bei den Menschen wie auch bei den anderen Arten von Wesen.
Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: Āyus (lifespan) and embodied destinies are subject to cosmic accounting; beings across species/classes are within the scope of karmic law.
Vedantic Theme: Saṃsāra’s regulated continuity across yonis; karma as the determinant of embodiment and duration under divine oversight.
Application: Use human life as a rare opportunity: prioritize dharma and devotion; remember mortality (maraṇa-smṛti) to guide choices.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: throne hall/record chamber
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: Chitragupta’s role as karmic accountant; subsequent judgment and assignment of experiences based on recorded deeds
FAQs
This verse highlights Yama’s role as the cosmic auditor who determines and verifies each being’s allotted lifespan, establishing the basis for post-death proceedings and karmic adjudication.
By depicting Yama seated in his court calculating lifespans for all beings, it places the soul’s journey within an ordered system where death timing and subsequent judgment are governed by a higher administrative law.
Live with accountability: treat time as finite, align actions with dharma, and perform remembrance/ritual duties with sincerity—since consequences are portrayed as precisely recorded and assessed.