Shloka 87
वैवस्वतपुरं याति कृष्यमाणो यमानुगैः / एवं क्रमेण यातब्ये मार्गे पापरतैस्तु यत्
vaivasvatapuraṃ yāti kṛṣyamāṇo yamānugaiḥ / evaṃ krameṇa yātabye mārge pāparataistu yat
Dragged along by Yama’s attendants, the sinner goes to Vaivasvata’s city, the realm of Yama. Thus, step by step, those devoted to sin must undergo the path that is to be traversed.
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: Papa-driven conduct compels a forced post-mortem journey under Yama’s agents; the path is ‘experienced’ as karmic necessity.
Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala-niyati (inexorable fruition of actions) within saṃsāra; the jīva’s subjection to cosmic law when not anchored in dharma/bhakti.
Application: Cultivate restraint and dharma now; use remembrance of consequences to abandon habitual harm and seek purifying practices (satkarman, japa, dana).
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: city/realm of judgment
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: descriptions of Yamadūtas, southern path, and Yama’s city in adjacent adhyāyas of Preta-khaṇḍa/Pretakalpa
FAQs
This verse presents Vaivasvata-pura as Yama’s realm where those attached to sinful actions are taken by Yama’s attendants, highlighting karmic accountability after death.
It depicts an enforced, sequential journey—being dragged by Yamānugas—indicating that for the pāpa-rati (sin-inclined), the post-death passage is compulsory and punitive rather than voluntary or peaceful.
Live with restraint and dharma—avoid habitual harmful acts—since the text frames repeated sin as leading to an inevitable, difficult post-death consequence under Yama’s jurisdiction.