Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 125
Āśauca, Daśāha Piṇḍa-Rites, Vṛṣotsarga, Sāpiṇḍīkaraṇa, and the Yama-mārga
Path to Yama
तत्र येन प्रदत्ता गौः स सुखेनैव तां तरेत् / अदायी तत्र घृष्येत करग्राहन्तु नाविकैः
tatra yena pradattā gauḥ sa sukhenaiva tāṃ taret / adāyī tatra ghṛṣyeta karagrāhantu nāvikaiḥ
そこで牛を布施した者は、その恐るべき川を安らかに渡る。だが布施しなかった者は、舟人に手を掴まれ、代価を取り立てられつつ引きずられ、責め苦を受ける。
Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: Merit from go-dāna yields ease; omission of dharmic giving results in suffering—karma operates as precise, situational consequence.
Vedantic Theme: Karma-niyati (moral causality) governing embodied experience beyond death; dharma as protective order (ṛta).
Application: Practice timely charity and fulfill dharmic obligations; do not rely on last-minute remedies—habitual generosity shapes outcomes.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: river crossing/checkpoint
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: daana as boat across Vaitaraṇī (2.5.124); Garuda Purana: punishments for specific omissions and commissions in Yama’s realm (various naraka lists)
FAQs
This verse states that donating a cow becomes a decisive merit that enables the departed to cross the fearful crossing (often understood as the Vaitaraṇī-like passage) easily, whereas the non-donor faces force and distress.
It portrays an after-death passage where assistance is not automatic: merit gained through dāna supports safe crossing, while lack of such merit results in being seized, dragged, and made to suffer by the agents at the crossing.
Cultivate dāna and ethical generosity—especially traditional forms like go-sevā or charitable giving in the name of ancestors—while living, rather than postponing spiritual responsibility until the time of death rites.