Shloka 79

Yamamārga, Antyeṣṭi-vidhi, and Daśāhika Piṇḍa-dāna

Road to Yama and Ten-Day Offerings

Devanagari script

अहन्यहनि वै प्रेतो योजनानां शतद्वयम् / चत्वारिंशत्तथा सप्त अहोरात्रेण गच्छति

Transliteration

ahanyahani vai preto yojanānāṃ śatadvayam / catvāriṃśattathā sapta ahorātreṇa gacchati

Translation

Day after day, the preta indeed travels two hundred yojanas; and in a single day-and-night it goes forty-seven (yojanas).

Word by Word

• अहनि: in a day
• अहनि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमीविभक्तिः (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्; (locative singular)

• अहनि: (again) in a day
• अहनि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमीविभक्तिः (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्; (repetition: day after day)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (emphatic particle)

• प्रेतः: the preta
• प्रेतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्

• योजनानाम्: of yojanas
• योजनानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठीविभक्तिः (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचनम्; (genitive plural)

• शतद्वयम्: two hundred
• शतद्वयम्: Karma (Extent/कर्म-परिमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शतद्वय (प्रातिपदिक: शत + द्वय)
• Form: द्विगुसमासः; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचनम्; (accusative singular: measure)

• चत्वारिंशत्: forty
• चत्वारिंशत्: Karma (Extent/कर्म-परिमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चत्वारिंशत् (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; अत्र परिमाणार्थे (numeral used for count)

• तथा: and also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/तुल्यार्थक-अव्यय (adverb: likewise/and)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Karma (Extent/कर्म-परिमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्त (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; अत्र परिमाणार्थे (numeral)

• अहोरात्रेण: in a day and night
• अहोरात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहोरात्र (प्रातिपदिक: अहः + रात्रि)
• Form: द्वन्द्वसमासः (इतरइतरेतर); नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचनम्; (instrumental singular: within a day-night)

• गच्छति: goes/travels
• गच्छति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Post-mortem movement is systematic and compelled; the jīva is carried by the momentum of karma through fixed stages.

Vedantic Theme: Saṁsāra as niyati-like regularity under karma; the jīva’s agency is constrained once the prārabdha-like sequence unfolds.

Application: Contemplate mortality and the structured consequences of actions; use life’s time to cultivate merit, devotion, and ethical clarity.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: cosmic road with quantified distances

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: day-by-day travel metrics and staging posts on the way to Yama; Garuda Purana: calendrical linkage of rites to journey stages

Characters & Entities

• Preta

FAQs

What is the importance of measuring the preta’s journey in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames the post-death passage as a structured journey with defined stages, reinforcing the urgency of rites (like śrāddha and piṇḍa-dāna) meant to aid and steady the preta on its path.

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

It depicts the preta as moving continuously, day by day, covering set distances—presenting the after-death transition not as instant arrival but as a progressive travel toward Yama’s domain and subsequent judgmental stages.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat death rituals and remembrance practices as time-sensitive duties—supporting family continuity, ethical living, and conscientious observance of śrāddha as a disciplined response to mortality.