Shloka 53
Dāna as Prāyaścitta; Deathbed Gifts; Antyeṣṭi Procedures; Nārāyaṇa-bali for Untimely Deaths
अहरहर्नीयमानो गामश्वं पुरुषं वृषम् / वैवस्वतो न तृप्येत सुरया त्विव दुर्मतिः
aharaharnīyamāno gāmaśvaṃ puruṣaṃ vṛṣam / vaivasvato na tṛpyeta surayā tviva durmatiḥ
Hari demi hari, ketika lembu, kuda, manusia dan lembu jantan dibawa pergi, Vaivasvata (Yama) tidak pernah puas—seperti orang berhati jahat yang tidak kenyang walau dengan arak.
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: Death is inexorable and continuous; Yama’s function is unceasing—serving as a warning against heedlessness and adharma.
Vedantic Theme: Saṁsāra-cakra and mṛtyu-satya (truth of death) prompting vairāgya (dispassion).
Application: Cultivate urgency in dharma and remembrance of death; avoid intoxication-like delusion (pramāda) that makes one ignore consequences.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa themes: Yama’s governance and the steady arrival of jīvas
FAQs
This verse highlights Yama as the cosmic regulator of death: beings are taken daily without exception, emphasizing the inevitability of mortality under dharma.
By stressing the constant “taking away” of living beings, it frames death as a universal transition overseen by Yama, setting the narrative ground for the preta’s onward journey and karmic accounting.
Live with urgency and ethics: remembering death’s certainty encourages restraint, charity, truthfulness, and timely performance of duty and ancestral rites.