Shloka 17

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

Devanagari script

योजनानां सहस्रं वै प्रमाणेन तदुच्यते / सर्वरत्नमयं दिव्यं विद्युज्ज्वालार्कतैजसम्

Transliteration

yojanānāṃ sahasraṃ vai pramāṇena taducyate / sarvaratnamayaṃ divyaṃ vidyujjvālārkataijasam

Translation

Ukurannya dikatakan seribu yojana. Ia bersifat ilahi, terbina daripada segala jenis permata, dan bersinar dengan gemerlap kilat, nyala api, serta cahaya matahari.

Word by Word

• योजनानाम्: of yojanas
• योजनानाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• सहस्रम्: a thousand
• सहस्रम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक

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

• प्रमाणेन: by measure; in extent
• प्रमाणेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; साधन/हेतु-भावे

• तत्: that (city)
• तत्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘तत् (पुरम्)’

• उच्यते: is said/called
• उच्यते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• सर्वरत्नमयम्: made of all kinds of gems
• सर्वरत्नमयम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-रत्न-मय (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: सर्व + रत्न + मय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of ‘तत्’/‘पुरम्’)

• दिव्यम्: divine; splendid
• दिव्यम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• विद्युत्: lightning
• विद्युत्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्युत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समास-पूर्वपद (in compound)

• ज्वाला: flame
• ज्वाला: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्वाला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समास-पूर्वपद (in compound)

• अर्क: sun
• अर्क: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समास-पूर्वपद (in compound)

• तैजसम्: radiant; luminous
• तैजसम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक) + अण् (तैजस)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of ‘पुरम्’)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The realm of judgment is vast and brilliantly manifest; nothing remains hidden under the ‘sun-light’ of dharma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma as प्रकाश (illumination): karmic truth becomes evident; the cosmos reflects moral causality.

Application: Live transparently; cultivate conscience as inner ‘light’—assume deeds will be revealed and measured.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: measured cosmic city

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: further descriptions of Yama’s city, radiance, and measurements; Garuda Purana: cosmographic measurement idioms (yojana) used for other realms too

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of describing measurements like “a thousand yojanas” in the Garuda Purana?

It conveys the vast, otherworldly scale of Yama’s realm, reinforcing that the post-death journey and its domains are not ordinary human spaces but part of a cosmic order governed by dharma.

How does this verse explain the nature of the afterlife realm?

By emphasizing jewel-like composition and intense radiance (lightning, flame, sun), the verse portrays the realm as a powerful, luminous divine structure—suggesting awe, authority, and inevitability in the soul’s encounter with cosmic justice.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Reflect on the vastness of moral consequence: live with dharma and restraint, remembering that actions have results beyond this life, and let that awareness shape ethical choices and reverence for traditional rites.