Shloka 132
Āśauca, Daśāha Piṇḍa-Rites, Vṛṣotsarga, Sāpiṇḍīkaraṇa, and the Yama-mārga
Path to Yama
भोजनं भल्लभल्लीभिर्मुसलैश्च क्व मारणम् / नवमे मासि दत्तं वै नानाक्रन्दपुरे ततः
bhojanaṃ bhallabhallībhirmusalaiśca kva māraṇam / navame māsi dattaṃ vai nānākrandapure tataḥ
Where is the charitable giving of food, and where is the killing with clubs and cudgels? Thereafter, the offering made in the ninth month is indeed received in the city called Nānākranda, “the place of many cries.”
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vainateya)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: नवमे मासि (ninth month after death)
Concept: The stark divergence between dharmic giving (anna-dāna/śrāddha) and violent harm; the preta’s experience is shaped by prior deeds and by timely offerings from the living.
Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala and saṃsāric continuity of experience beyond death; the jīva’s embodied-like suffering in subtle transit until proper rites/support.
Application: Perform timely śrāddha/anna-dāna; cultivate ahiṃsā; avoid cruelty and support the departed with prescribed monthly offerings.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: city
Related Themes: Garuda Purana, Pretakalpa: monthly śrāddha/pinda sequence (navama–ekādaśa māsa stations); Garuda Purana: descriptions of Yamadūtas and intermediate cities in preta-yātrā
FAQs
This verse states that what is given in the ninth month is specifically received in Nānākranda-pura, indicating a month-wise linkage between śrāddha/charitable offerings and the preta’s experience on the post-death journey.
It contrasts nourishment through offerings (food/charity) with violent suffering (beating/killing), and places the ninth-month gift within a specific after-death locale—Nānākranda—showing the Garuda Purana’s structured mapping of experiences and relief during the preta’s passage.
Perform śrāddha and charitable feeding with sincerity and non-violence in life; the text frames food-giving as supportive to the departed and violence as leading to suffering.