Shloka 23

Preta-mārga Supports (Dāna), Chitragupta’s Accounting, and the Enumeration of Narakas

Devanagari script

सायुधा धावमानाश्च न मार्गे दृष्टिगोचराः / प्रयान्ति यमदूतास्ते मुद्रिकायाः प्रदानतः

Transliteration

sāyudhā dhāvamānāśca na mārge dṛṣṭigocarāḥ / prayānti yamadūtāste mudrikāyāḥ pradānataḥ

Translation

ആയുധധാരികളായി ഓടിച്ചെല്ലുന്നവരായിട്ടും യമദൂതന്മാർ വഴിയിൽ കണ്ണിൽപ്പെടുകയില്ല; മുദ്രിക (അധികാരചിഹ്നം) ദാനം ചെയ്ത പുണ്യബലത്തിൽ അവർ മുന്നോട്ട് പോകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• सायुधाः: armed
• सायुधाः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + आयुध (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (यमदूतानाम्); ‘आयुधैः सह’ इत्यर्थे बहुव्रीह्यर्थक-तत्पुरुषप्रयोगः

• धावमानाः: running
• धावमानाः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धाव् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• मार्गे: on the path
• मार्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; अधिकरणम् (in/on the path)

• दृष्टिगोचराः: within sight, visible
• दृष्टिगोचराः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृष्टि + गोचर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (यमदूतानाम्); ‘दृष्टेः गोचराः’ = visible

• प्रयान्ति: they go away, depart
• प्रयान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• यमदूताः: Yama's messengers
• यमदूताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम + दूत (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• ते: those (they)
• ते: Anuvartaka/Pronoun (अनुवर्तक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम; यमदूतान् प्रति निर्देशः

• मुद्रिकायाः: of the seal/ring (token)
• मुद्रिकायाः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुद्रिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सम्बन्धः (of a seal/ring/token)

• प्रदानतः: because of the giving
• प्रदानतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र + दान (प्रातिपदिक) + तः (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तसिलन्त-अव्यय (ablatival adverb) ‘because of giving’

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Specific meritorious acts (here, granting a mudrikā/token) create a juridical protection that prevents encounter with punitive forces.

Vedantic Theme: Moral causality expressed through symbolic ‘permissions’; unseen merit shaping seen/unseen experiences.

Application: Perform prescribed gifts/rites with faith and correctness; honor ritual tokens/authorizations in funerary contexts as symbols of lawful passage.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: road/path

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: items given to aid passage on the path (tokens, footwear, umbrella, etc.); Garuda Purana: discussions of messengers, road-visions, and how merit alters perception/encounter

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Yamadutas

FAQs

What is the importance of the mudrikā (token) in Garuda Purana?

In this verse, the mudrikā functions as an official authorization or credential that empowers Yama’s messengers to move and act on the soul’s route, indicating divine/legal sanction in the after-death administration.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

It implies that the journey after death is not purely physical: Yama’s agents can be armed and swift yet remain unseen on the “road,” suggesting a subtle, supra-human transit and governance over the departed’s passage.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with accountability: the verse reinforces that actions have consequences under an ordered moral law (dharma), encouraging ethical conduct and sincere performance of prescribed rites with awareness of the after-death journey.