Shloka 145

Āśauca, Daśāha Piṇḍa-Rites, Vṛṣotsarga, Sāpiṇḍīkaraṇa, and the Yama-mārga

Path to Yama

Devanagari script

ततो याम्यं नातिदूरे नगरं स हि गच्छति / चत्वारिंशद्योजनानि चतुर्युक्तानिविस्तृतम्

Transliteration

tato yāmyaṃ nātidūre nagaraṃ sa hi gacchati / catvāriṃśadyojanāni caturyuktānivistṛtam

Translation

Thereafter he indeed goes to Yama’s city, not very far away, spread out to a breadth of forty yojanas, laid out in four well-ordered divisions.

Word by Word

• ततः: then/from there
• ततः: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: तस्मात्-अर्थे अव्यय (ablatival adverb: then/from there)

• याम्यम्: southern (of Yama)
• याम्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: याम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषण (नगरम्)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation: not)

• अतिदूरे: at no great distance
• अतिदूरे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति-दूर (प्रातिपदिक; अति + दूर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव (अति + दूर)

• नगरम्: city
• नगरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नगर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: indeed/for)

• गच्छति: goes
• गच्छति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• चत्वारिंशत्: forty
• चत्वारिंशत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चत्वारिंशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या-शब्दः; समासपूर्वपद (yojanāni इत्यस्य विशेषण)

• योजनानि: yojanas (distance units)
• योजनानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• चतुर्युक्तानि: joined with four (i.e., plus four)
• चतुर्युक्तानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्-युक्त (प्रातिपदिक; चतुर् + युक्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषण (योजनानि)

• विस्तृतम्: spread out/extended
• विस्तृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विस्तृत (प्रातिपदिक; √स्तृ + वि, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (नगरम्)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Cosmic order (ṛta/dharma) is institutionalized: Yama’s realm is structured, measured, and systematic—judgment is not arbitrary.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma as universal law; the jīva meets the consequences of its own actions within an ordered moral cosmos.

Application: Live as if accountable to an impartial audit: keep commitments, avoid rationalizing harm, and align daily conduct with dharma.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: city

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: descriptions of Yama’s city, courts, and the role of Chitragupta and yamadūtas (adjacent passages)

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Yama-puri (Yama’s city)

FAQs

What is the importance of Yama’s city (Yama-puri) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse marks a key stage in the post-death journey: the departed being reaches Yama’s domain, the administrative center where karmic consequences are assessed and the next course is determined.

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

It presents the journey as progressive—“thereafter” the being proceeds to Yama’s city—implying a structured passage through afterlife stations rather than an instant final destination.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with accountability: the text emphasizes an ordered moral universe where actions have outcomes; it also supports mindful observance of death rites as preparation for the soul’s onward journey.