Shloka 83

Yamamārga, Antyeṣṭi-vidhi, and Daśāhika Piṇḍa-dāna

Road to Yama and Ten-Day Offerings

Devanagari script

नानाक्रन्दपुरं सुतप्रभवनं रौद्रं पयोवर्षणं शीताढ्यं बहुधर्मभीतभवनं याम्यं पुरं चाग्रतः

Transliteration

nānākrandapuraṃ sutaprabhavanaṃ raudraṃ payovarṣaṇaṃ śītāḍhyaṃ bahudharmabhītabhavanaṃ yāmyaṃ puraṃ cāgrataḥ

Translation

Ahead lies Yama’s city: the town of many wailings; the place where offspring are brought forth; the fierce realm where rain pours down; the ice-laden region; and the dwelling where, in manifold ways, those fearful of Dharma abide.

Word by Word

• नानाक्रन्दपुरम्: the city of many wailings
• नानाक्रन्दपुरम्: Karma (Object, implied)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाना + क्रन्द + पुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (नानाविधः क्रन्दः यस्मिन् तत् पुरम् / क्रन्दस्य बहुलत्वेन)

• सुतप्रभवनम्: Sutaprabhavana (a named place)
• सुतप्रभवनम्: Karma (Object, implied)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत + प्र + भवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (सुतानां प्रभवनम्/उत्पत्तिस्थानम् इति नाम)

• रौद्रम्: Raudra (a place/region)
• रौद्रम्: Karma (Object, implied)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रौद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; (पुरम्/स्थानम्) इति शेषः

• पयोवर्षणम्: the raining of water/milk (a place)
• पयोवर्षणम्: Karma (Object, implied)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पयस् + वर्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पयसः वर्षणम्)

• शीताढ्यम्: abounding in cold
• शीताढ्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शीत + आढ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (शीतेन आढ्यम् = rich in cold) — (स्थानम्) विशेषण/नाम

• बहुधर्मभीतभवनम्: the dwelling of those frightened by many ‘dharmas’ (a named place)
• बहुधर्मभीतभवनम्: Karma (Object, implied)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहु + धर्म + भीत + भवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (बहुधर्मेभ्यः भीतानां भवनम् / बहुधर्म-भीत-भवनम्)

• याम्यम्: of Yama
• याम्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: याम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (पुरम्)

• पुरम्: city
• पुरम्: Karma (Object, implied)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Conjunction
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक)

• अग्रतः: in front, ahead
• अग्रतः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्रतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — स्थान/कालवाचक

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Fear and suffering arise when dharma was neglected; the afterlife landscape mirrors one’s moral relationship to dharma.

Vedantic Theme: Conscience (antarātman) and karmic imprint (saṃskāra) objectified as experiential realms; dharma as cosmic order (ṛta).

Application: Strengthen dharma through truth, non-injury, self-control, and regular remembrance; cultivate fearlessness by aligning conduct with conscience.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: sequence of towns/regions/dwellings on the approach to Yama’s city

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: ‘towns of wailing’ and fear-based stations described around the yamamārga narrative; Garuda Purana: didactic passages on dharma-bhaya and the inevitability of Yama’s court

Characters & Entities

• Yama

FAQs

What is the importance of Yama’s city in the Garuda Purana?

This verse lists characteristic regions associated with Yama’s domain—places marked by lamentation, harsh climate, and fear of Dharma—framing the after-death journey as a moral landscape shaped by karmic law.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By naming successive, distinct zones “ahead,” the verse suggests a progressing route through Yama’s realm where the departed encounter environments that reflect accountability to Dharma and the consequences of past actions.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with Dharma—truthfulness, restraint, compassion, and duty—so that one’s conscience is not ruled by fear; and support ancestral rites with sincerity, using them as reminders of ethical responsibility.