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
Dalam kegelapan yang pekat dan mengerikan—di jalan yang dipenuhi anjing dan tanpa sebarang tanda—mereka yang telah mendermakan pelita akan berjalan dengan selamat di laluan yang bercahaya.
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.