Garuda Purana 2.2.8 — Preta Kalpa, Adhyaya 2, Shloka 8
The Extent of Questions: Deathbed Rites, Kāla (Time), and Karma-Vipāka Rebirths
लेप्या तु गोमयैर्भूमिस्तिलान्दर्भान्विनिः क्षिपेत् / तस्यामेवातुरो मुक्तः सर्वं दहति किल्बिषम्
lepyā tu gomayairbhūmistilāndarbhānviniḥ kṣipet / tasyāmevāturo muktaḥ sarvaṃ dahati kilbiṣam
Hendaklah tanah disapu dengan tahi lembu, kemudian ditaburkan biji bijan dan rumput darbha. Apabila orang yang menderita diletakkan di tempat itu, dikatakan ia membakar habis segala dosa.
Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: At the time of severe illness/near death; preparatory to antyeṣṭi
Concept: Contact with a sanctified ritual surface can neutralize kīlbiṣa (sin) through prescribed purity acts.
Vedantic Theme: Purification (śuddhi) as preparatory aid within karma-kāṇḍa; inner liberation still distinct from ritual expiation.
Application: Prepare a clean, consecrated area using traditional purifiers (gomaya, tila, darbha) when performing end-of-life rites; combine with prayer and ethical intention.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: ritual ground/bed of release
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: deathbed/antyeṣṭi preparations using gomaya, darbha, tila; expiatory framing of kīlbiṣa (thematic parallel)
FAQs
This verse presents gomaya as a purifier: preparing a ritually clean space so that contact with it supports the removal of impurity (kilbiṣa) for the afflicted or ritually burdened person.
By placing the afflicted person on a prepared, sanctified ground with tila and darbha, the text frames purification as both physical (ritual cleanliness) and karmic (burning sin), aligning the person with dharmic order at a critical transition.
Maintain a clean, sanctified space for prayer/rites and pair external cleanliness with inner repentance and ethical conduct—treating ritual purity as a support for moral purification, not a substitute for it.
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