Shloka 6
Preta-mārga Supports (Dāna), Chitragupta’s Accounting, and the Enumeration of Narakas
अन्धकारे महाघोरे श्वपूर्णे लक्ष्यवर्जिते / दीप्ते ऽध्वनि च ते यान्ति दीपो दत्तश्च यैर्नरैः
andhakāre mahāghore śvapūrṇe lakṣyavarjite / dīpte 'dhvani ca te yānti dīpo dattaśca yairnaraiḥ
ഘോരമായ അന്ധകാരത്തിൽ—നായകളാൽ നിറഞ്ഞതും യാതൊരു ലക്ഷണവുമില്ലാത്തതുമായ വഴിയിൽ—ആർക്കായി മനുഷ്യർ ദീപദാനം ചെയ്തിട്ടുണ്ടോ, അവർ പ്രകാശമുള്ള പഥത്തിൽ സുരക്ഷിതമായി പോകുന്നു।
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Beneficiary: Pitr
Concept: Charitable offering of a lamp becomes real protection and guidance in the after-death passage.
Vedantic Theme: Light as symbol of knowledge and grace; dharmic acts generate protective merit that counteracts fear and obscurity in saṃsāra’s transitions.
Application: Practice dīpa-dāna (literal or symbolic) and cultivate ‘light-giving’ actions—education, guidance, safety—for others.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: hazardous road/liminal passage
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: repeated praise of dīpa-dāna as remover of darkness in preta-mārga and as a high-merit gift
FAQs
This verse presents dīpa-dāna as a spiritual aid that turns a terrifying, trackless after-death route into an illuminated passage, symbolizing guidance and protection for the departed.
It portrays the post-death journey as dark, frightening, and hard to navigate; the merit of giving a lamp provides “light” that enables the being to move forward on a brightened path.
Practice charitable giving with the intent to relieve fear and confusion—traditionally via lamp-offering or supporting lighting/knowledge—while living ethically so one’s path is made clearer by one’s own merit.