Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 9

Arrival at Yama’s cities: Citragupta’s scrutiny, Dharmadhvaja’s gate, and the necessity of dāna

Devanagari script

प्राप्तं सुकृतिनं दृष्ट्वा स्थानाच्च लति सूर्यजः / एष मे मण्डलं भित्त्वा ब्रह्मलोकं प्रयास्यति

Transliteration

prāptaṃ sukṛtinaṃ dṛṣṭvā sthānācca lati sūryajaḥ / eṣa me maṇḍalaṃ bhittvā brahmalokaṃ prayāsyati

Translation

ਪੁੰਨਵਾਨ ਨੂੰ ਆਇਆ ਵੇਖ ਕੇ ਸੂਰਜਪੁੱਤਰ ਯਮ ਆਪਣੇ ਆਸਨ ਤੋਂ ਉੱਠ ਖੜ੍ਹਾ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ—‘ਇਹ ਮੇਰੇ ਮੰਡਲ ਨੂੰ ਭੇਦ ਕੇ ਬ੍ਰਹਮਲੋਕ ਨੂੰ ਜਾਵੇਗਾ।’

Word by Word

• प्राप्तम्: arrived/reached
• प्राप्तम्: Karma (Object; ‘having reached/arrived’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• सुकृतिनम्: the meritorious one
• सुकृतिनम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुकृतिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund)

• स्थानात्: from (his) place
• स्थानात्: Apadana (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादान (from)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• लति: departs/moves away
• लति: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लट् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• सूर्यजः: the son of the Sun (Yama)
• सूर्यजः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सूर्यस्य जः = born of the Sun)

• एषः: this (person)
• एषः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; enclitic pronoun

• मण्डलम्: sphere/orb/region
• मण्डलम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• भित्त्वा: having pierced/broken through
• भित्त्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भिद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund)

• ब्रह्मलोकम्: Brahmaloka
• ब्रह्मलोकम्: Karma (Goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणः लोकः)

• प्रयास्यति: will go forth/will proceed
• प्रयास्यति: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-या (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Svarga

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: महापुण्येन जीवः यममण्डलं भित्त्वा उच्चलोकं गच्छति; अधिकार-सीमा कर्मफलानुसारं

Vedantic Theme: लोक-भेदः कर्मोपाधि-जन्यः; उत्तम-पुण्येन उच्च-गति, तथापि मोक्षात् भिन्नः

Application: दीर्घकालीन पुण्य-संचयः—दान, सत्य, तपः, स्वाध्याय, सेवा—इत्यादिभिः जीवन-लक्ष्यं उच्चतरं कर्तुम्

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Geographic Context

Type: court and cosmic boundary (mandala)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: स्वर्ग/ब्रह्मलोक-गति-वर्णन; पुण्यवानां विशेष-गति; Garuda Purana: यममण्डल-सीमा/अधिकार-वर्णन (सामान्य-प्रकरण)

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Surya
• Brahma
• Brahmaloka

FAQs

What is the importance of Brahmaloka in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents Brahmaloka as a higher post-mortem destination reserved for the highly meritorious, beyond the ordinary jurisdiction of Yama’s realm.

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

It indicates a graded afterlife: a sukṛtin (one rich in merit) can pass beyond Yama’s domain and move upward to Brahmaloka, implying spiritual elevation through accumulated puṇya.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live in a way that builds sukṛti—truthfulness, charity, self-discipline, and dharmic conduct—so one’s trajectory after death is described as moving toward higher states rather than bondage.