Shloka 88

Yamamārga, Antyeṣṭi-vidhi, and Daśāhika Piṇḍa-dāna

Road to Yama and Ten-Day Offerings

Devanagari script

किङ्करैः पीड्यते ऽत्यर्थं स्मरते पूर्वदैहिकम्

Transliteration

kiṅkaraiḥ pīḍyate 'tyarthaṃ smarate pūrvadaihikam

Translation

When grievously tormented by the attendants of Yama, the being remembers its former embodied life.

Word by Word

• किङ्करैः: by servants/attendants
• किङ्करैः: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Case 3), बहुवचन; करण (agent/instrument in passive)

• पीड्यते: is tormented
• पीड्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पीड् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive)

• अत्यर्थं: excessively
• अत्यर्थं: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्यर्थम् (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय (adverb)

• स्मरते: remembers
• स्मरते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• पूर्वदैहिकम्: (things) of the former life/body
• पूर्वदैहिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + दैहिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष sense ‘previous-bodily’ = of former body/life; object of स्मरते

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Under karmic pressure, the soul recalls prior embodied actions—memory as a mechanism of moral reckoning.

Vedantic Theme: Karma as saṁskāra: past impressions ripen into experience; accountability follows the jīva beyond death.

Application: Cultivate daily self-review and repentance before death; keep conscience clear through ethical living.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: liminal road/courtly precinct (implied)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: kinkara-torment and forced recollection as prelude to judgment and naraka descriptions (common sequence)

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Yama-dutas (Kiṅkaras)
• Preta

FAQs

What is the importance of Yama’s attendants (kiṅkaras) in the Garuda Purana?

They represent the force of karmic retribution: their torment triggers accountability, making the departed confront and remember the consequences of actions from the previous embodied life.

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

It indicates that during the preta-state, suffering under Yama’s agents can awaken vivid recollection of one’s past embodied existence, aligning the soul’s experience with its stored karma.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with ethical restraint and responsibility—since actions are not forgotten—and support dharmic death rites (e.g., śrāddha/pinda offerings) as reminders of accountability and compassion for the departed.