Shloka 149

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

Path to Yama

Devanagari script

दण्डासक्तमहाबाहुं पाशहस्तं सुभैरवम् / तन्निर्दिष्टां ततो जन्तुर्गतिं याति शुभाशुभाम्

Transliteration

daṇḍāsaktamahābāhuṃ pāśahastaṃ subhairavam / tannirdiṣṭāṃ tato janturgatiṃ yāti śubhāśubhām

Translation

Then the being (the departed soul) proceeds to the auspicious or inauspicious destination assigned to it—after beholding the mighty-armed, terrifying one who bears a staff and holds a noose (pāśa) in his hand.

Word by Word

• daṇḍa: staff/rod
• daṇḍa: Samasa-anga (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (staff/rod) — समासाङ्ग

• āsakta: holding/attached to
• āsakta: Samasa-anga (Compound member)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sañj (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, आसक्त), प्रातिपदिक-रूप; 'attached/holding' — समासाङ्ग

• mahābāhum: mighty-armed
• mahābāhum: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (अव्यय/उपसर्ग-प्रातिपदिक) + bāhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास: महान्तौ बाहू यस्य = 'mighty-armed'

• pāśa: noose
• pāśa: Samasa-anga (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (noose) — समासाङ्ग

• hastam: hand (with noose)
• hastam: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास: पाश-हस्तम् = 'having a noose in hand'

• su: very
• su: Upasarga/Nipata
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपसर्गार्थ/उपपद) = 'सु' (intensifier: very) — समासाङ्ग

• bhairavam: very terrifying
• bhairavam: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhairava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: सु-भैरवम् = 'very terrifying'

• tat: that
• tat: Samasa-anga (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'that' (refers to the path/destination indicated) — समासाङ्ग

• nirdiṣṭām: indicated
• nirdiṣṭām: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: diś (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, निर्दिष्ट), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: तद्-निर्दिष्टाम् = 'that which is indicated'

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = 'thereupon/then'

• jantuḥ: the creature/soul
• jantuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jantu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• gatim: destination/path
• gatim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• yāti: goes
• yāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; √या = 'goes'

• śubhāśubhām: good-or-bad
• śubhāśubhām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक) + aśubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास: शुभ+अशुभ = 'good and bad' (as qualifier of गति)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Karmic determinism in routing: the jantu proceeds to a शुभ/अशुभ gati as assigned by dharma’s authority.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala and samsara-gati; impetus toward moksha as the only escape from assigned cycles.

Application: Choose actions with awareness of consequences; cultivate sattva and devotion to alter one’s gati toward auspicious outcomes.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: judicial threshold

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: gati classifications (shubha/ashubha) and subsequent naraka/svarga descriptions; Garuda Purana: Yama’s danda and pasha symbolism in yamaduta narratives

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Yamadutas

FAQs

What is the importance of Yama’s staff and noose in the Garuda Purana?

In this verse, the staff and noose symbolize authority over restraint and punishment—markers of karmic judgment that direct the soul toward its ordained outcome.

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

It states that once the soul is confronted by the fearsome enforcers associated with Yama, it is led onward to the specific destiny determined by its karma—either favorable or unfavorable.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with ethical restraint and accountability: actions have consequences, and one’s choices shape the “auspicious or inauspicious” direction of life and its aftermath.