Shloka 154

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

Path to Yama

Devanagari script

एतत् ते सर्वमाख्यातं संयमिन्यां यथागति / प्रोक्तमावर्षकृत्यं ते किमन्यच्छ्रोतुमिच्छसि

Transliteration

etat te sarvamākhyātaṃ saṃyaminyāṃ yathāgati / proktamāvarṣakṛtyaṃ te kimanyacchrotumicchasi

Translation

Thus I have explained to you everything, in its proper order, about Saṃyamanī, Yama’s realm. I have also described the rites to be performed throughout the year; what else do you wish to hear?

Word by Word

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी) एकवचन (genitive: 'to/for you' in sense); सर्वनाम

• sarvam: all
• sarvam: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (etat)

• ākhyātam: has been explained
• ākhyātam: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + khyā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि (has been told)

• saṃyaminyām: in the Saṃyaminī (city/realm)
• saṃyaminyām: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃyaminī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• yathāgati: according to the course/appropriately
• yathāgati: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā + gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमासः; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (indeclinable)

• proktam: told
• proktam: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + vac (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘ākhyātam’ इत्यर्थे

• āvarṣakṛtyam: the annual rite/duty
• āvarṣakṛtyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āvarṣa + kṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—आवर्षस्य कृत्यम् (annual duty)

• te: for you
• te: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी) एकवचन (dative: for you) / षष्ठी एकवचन (genitive) प्रसङ्गानुसारम्

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (Interrogative object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• anyat: other
• anyat: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (kim)

• śrotum: to hear
• śrotum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (infinitive), अव्ययवत्

• icchasi: do you wish
• icchasi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: iṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Parvana

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Annual cycle (ābdika and related year-round observances)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Teachings should be given in orderly sequence (yathāgati); understanding Yama’s realm and annual rites equips one for dharmic living and proper ancestral care.

Vedantic Theme: Śāstra as pramāṇa; systematic instruction leading to viveka and steadiness (śānti).

Application: Study teachings in sequence; keep an annual ritual calendar; ask precise questions to deepen understanding rather than remaining vague.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: city/realm of Yama

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.5: Saṃyamanī/yamaloka descriptions and annual śrāddha rites summarized near chapter end

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Saṃyamanī

FAQs

What is the importance of āvarṣa-kṛtya (annual rites) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse signals that the text treats annual observances for the departed as a complete, structured duty—meant to be followed in proper sequence as part of dharma.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in relation to Yama’s realm?

By stating that Saṃyamanī has been explained “according to proper course,” it frames the after-death journey and Yama’s domain as an ordered process governed by moral and ritual law.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Follow a disciplined approach to remembrance and duty—perform prescribed ancestral rites responsibly, and live ethically so one’s post-death course is not burdened by wrongdoing.