Shloka 143

Dāna as Prāyaścitta; Deathbed Gifts; Antyeṣṭi Procedures; Nārāyaṇa-bali for Untimely Deaths

Devanagari script

यवपिष्टं यथा मांसे मधु शोणितमेव च / केशेषु च जटाजूटं त्वचायाञ्च मृगत्वचम्

Transliteration

yavapiṣṭaṃ yathā māṃse madhu śoṇitameva ca / keśeṣu ca jaṭājūṭaṃ tvacāyāñca mṛgatvacam

Translation

Barley-flour paste appears as though it were flesh; honey is seen as blood. In the hair there forms a matted lock (jaṭā-jūṭa), and upon the skin there arises a deerskin-like covering.

Word by Word

• यवपिष्टम्: barley-flour (ground barley)
• यवपिष्टम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यव (प्रातिपदिक) + पिष्ट (कृदन्त; √पिष्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (यवानां पिष्टम्)

• यथा: as/like
• यथा: Sambandha/Comparative particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उपमान/प्रकारार्थ ("as/like")

• मांसे: in the flesh
• मांसे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मांस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• मधु: honey
• मधु: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (सन्दर्भतः द्वितीया—न्यास्य वस्तु)

• शोणितम्: blood
• शोणितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोणित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (सन्दर्भतः द्वितीया—न्यास्य वस्तु)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• च: and
• च: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• केशेषु: in the hair
• केशेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय-निपात

• जटाजूटम्: matted locks and a hair-bundle
• जटाजूटम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जटा (प्रातिपदिक) + जूट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्व (जटा च जूटं च)

• त्वचायाम्: on the skin
• त्वचायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वचा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय-निपात

• मृगत्वचम्: deer-skin
• मृगत्वचम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक) + त्वच्/त्वचा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (मृगस्य त्वचम्)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Karmic embodiment can invert perception—what seems nourishing becomes grotesque; identity markers (hair/skin) become signs of suffering.

Vedantic Theme: Māyā-like instability of bodily form; vairāgya through seeing the body as non-self (anātma-lakṣaṇa).

Application: Reduce attachment to appearance and consumption; practice ethical restraint and devotion to avoid degrading rebirth/after-death states.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.4 (sequence of bodily substitutions in preta condition)

Characters & Entities

• Garuda

FAQs

What is the importance of describing such bodily changes in the Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights the altered, non-physical condition of the post-death state, where ordinary substances and appearances are perceived differently—supporting the text’s teaching that the preta condition is distinct from the gross body.

How does this verse relate to the soul’s path after death?

It indicates that after death the being undergoes unusual transformations and perceptions, underscoring the transitional preta phase described in the Preta Kanda before reaching Yama’s domain and subsequent outcomes based on karma.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

It encourages timely performance of death rites (śrāddha, piṇḍa-dāna) and ethical living, remembering that post-death experiences are shaped by dharma and karmic consequences.