Shloka 16

Yama-mārga (Adhvan) and the Courts of Yama: Vaivasvatī and Chitragupta

Devanagari script

चतुरश्रं चतुर्द्वारं सप्तप्राकारतोरणम् / स्वयं तिष्ठति वै यस्यां यमो दूतैः समन्वितः

Transliteration

caturaśraṃ caturdvāraṃ saptaprākāratoraṇam / svayaṃ tiṣṭhati vai yasyāṃ yamo dūtaiḥ samanvitaḥ

Translation

അത് ചതുരശ്രം, നാലു ദ്വാരങ്ങളുള്ളത്, ഏഴ് പ്രാകാര‑തോരണങ്ങളാൽ സമന്വിതം; അവിടെ യമൻ സ്വയം തന്റെ ദൂതന്മാരോടുകൂടെ നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു.

Word by Word

• चतुरश्रम्: four-cornered; square
• चतुरश्रम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्-अश्र (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: चतुर् + अश्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of ‘पुरम्’); समासः—द्विगु (चत्वारि अश्राणि यस्य)

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

• चतुर्द्वारम्: having four gates
• चतुर्द्वारम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्-द्वार (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: चतुर् + द्वार)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्; समासः—द्विगु (चत्वारि द्वाराणि यस्य)

• सप्तप्राकारतोरणम्: with seven ramparts and gateways/arches
• सप्तप्राकारतोरणम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त-प्राकार-तोरण (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: सप्त + प्राकार + तोरण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्; समासः—द्विगु/तत्पुरुष-समुच्चय (सप्त प्राकाराः (च) तोरणानि (च) यस्य)

• स्वयम्: personally; himself
• स्वयम्: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: स्वतन्त्र-कर्तृवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: oneself)

• तिष्ठति: stands; remains
• तिष्ठति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• यस्याम्: in which
• यस्याम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सूचक; अधिकरण

• यमः: Yama
• यमः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• दूतैः: with messengers
• दूतैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• समन्वितः: accompanied; attended
• समन्वितः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-अन्-वी (धातु) + क्त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of ‘यमः’)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The afterlife administration is structured and guarded; Yama’s authority is organized, not chaotic.

Vedantic Theme: Cosmic order (ṛta/dharma) manifests as structure; the jīva meets consequences within a regulated system.

Application: Live with accountability and preparedness; recognize that actions are ‘processed’ through an orderly moral system.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: fortified court/citadel

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: descriptions of Yama’s sabhā, gates, guards, and Yamadūtas; Garuda Purana: lists of Yamadūtas and their functions (elsewhere in Pretakalpa)

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Yama-dutas

FAQs

What is the importance of Yama's abode description in the Garuda Purana?

This verse gives a concrete image of Yama’s domain—structured, guarded, and organized—emphasizing the inevitability of post-death accountability overseen by Yama and his messengers.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

By highlighting Yama attended by dūtas, the verse implies a formal process in the afterlife: beings are brought under Yama’s supervision, where their deeds are examined within an ordered realm.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with ethical restraint (dharma) and mindful karma, remembering that actions have consequences; traditional families also read such passages to reinforce seriousness about death rites and moral conduct.