Shloka 5

Devanagari script

कण्ठग्राह विमग्नानां क्षीणानां तुण्डघातिनाम् / विषाग्निवृषविप्रेभ्यो विषूच्या चात्मघातकाः

Transliteration

kaṇṭhagrāha vimagnānāṃ kṣīṇānāṃ tuṇḍaghātinām / viṣāgnivṛṣaviprebhyo viṣūcyā cātmaghātakāḥ

Translation

കണ്ഠം പിടിച്ച് ശ്വാസംമുട്ടിക്കപ്പെട്ടവർ, വെള്ളത്തിൽ മുങ്ങിമരിച്ചവർ, ക്ഷീണിച്ച് മരിച്ചവർ, അടിയേറ്റ് കൊല്ലപ്പെട്ടവർ; വിഷം, അഗ്നി, വൃഷഭം, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ബ്രാഹ്മണാപകാരം മൂലം മരിച്ചവർ; വിഷൂചി/തീവ്ര അതിസാരം മൂലം മരിച്ചവർ, ആത്മഹത്യ ചെയ്തവർ—ഇവരെല്ലാം (ദുരവസ്ഥാപ്രാപ്തർ) ആകുന്നു।

Word by Word

कण्ठग्राहthroat-seizure (strangling)

विमग्नानाम्of those submerged/drowned

क्षीणानाम्of the weakened

तुण्डघातिनाम्of beak-strikers (birds etc.)

विषाग्निवृषविप्रेभ्यःfrom poison, fire, bull, and Brahmin(s)

विषूच्याby cholera/violent dysentery (viṣūcikā)

चand

आत्मघातकाःself-killers (suicides)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Violent, accidental, and sinful causes of death (including harm to a brāhmaṇa and self-killing) are karmically weighty and shape post-mortem suffering.

Vedantic Theme: Adharma produces duḥkha across realms; the moral order (ṛta/dharma) governs even the manner of death and its aftermath.

Application: Uphold ahiṃsā and protect the vulnerable; avoid self-harm; practice safety around fire/poison/water; seek atonement and reconciliation to reduce papa.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: further elaborations on specific narakas and punishments for suicide, violence, and brahma-hatyā-related harms (later naraka sections).

Characters & Entities

Brāhmaṇa (Vipra)

FAQs

What is the importance of describing unnatural deaths in the Garuda Purana?

This verse groups forms of violent, sudden, or afflicted death (choking, drowning, poison, fire, severe disease, suicide) to highlight how intense suffering at death can be linked with karma, and why such cases are treated as spiritually sensitive in preta-related teachings.

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

By naming categories of harsh deaths, it implies that the departed may enter the preta-condition with greater distress and confusion, making the post-death journey and judgment (as taught in the Preta Kanda) more arduous unless supported by dharmic conduct and appropriate rites.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live to reduce harm and negligence (ahimsā, responsibility), avoid self-destruction, and when deaths are sudden or traumatic, families often seek preta-śānti and charity/ritual support with a qualified priest according to their tradition.