Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 18

Preta-mārga Supports (Dāna), Chitragupta’s Accounting, and the Enumeration of Narakas

Devanagari script

असिपत्रवनं घोरं सो ऽतिक्रामति वै ध्रुवम् / अश्वारूढाश्च गच्छन्ति ददते य उपानहौ

Transliteration

asipatravanaṃ ghoraṃ so 'tikrāmati vai dhruvam / aśvārūḍhāśca gacchanti dadate ya upānahau

Translation

Ele certamente atravessa o terrível Asipatravana (a floresta de folhas como espadas). Os que doam calçado viajam montados em cavalos.

Word by Word

• असिपत्रवनम्: the forest of sword-leaves
• असिपत्रवनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असि (प्रातिपदिक) + पत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (असिपत्राणां वनम्)

• घोरम्: terrible
• घोरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying asipatravanam)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अतिक्रामति: crosses over, passes beyond
• अतिक्रामति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अति+क्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (emphatic particle)

• ध्रुवम्: certainly, surely
• ध्रुवम्: Sambandha/Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव/क्रियाविशेषणवत् प्रयोगः; अव्ययार्थे द्वितीया एकवचन (adverbial accusative)

• अश्वारूढाः: mounted on horses
• अश्वारूढाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अश्व (प्रातिपदिक) + आरूढ (कृदन्त; आ+रुह् धातोः क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अश्वे आरूढाः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• गच्छन्ति: go, proceed
• गच्छन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ददते: give
• ददते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• उपानहौ: a pair of sandals
• उपानहौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपानह् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), द्विवचन; (pair of sandals/shoes)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Protective gifts (upānah-dāna) become literal protection and conveyance for the soul; ethical foresight reduces post-mortem hardship.

Vedantic Theme: Karma’s concrete fruition (phala) shaping experiential worlds; saṃsāric travel conditioned by prior actions.

Application: Donate footwear to those who walk barefoot (pilgrims, laborers, poor); pair the act with a sankalpa for ancestors and for alleviating suffering.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: vira

Geographic Context

Type: forest/ordeal-zone

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: recurring catalog of dāna items (footwear, umbrella, water-pot) and their specific journey-benefits; Garuda Purana descriptions of Asipatravana among fearsome regions on the Yama-path

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Preta
• Asipatravana

FAQs

What is the importance of Asipatravana in the Garuda Purana?

Asipatravana is described as a terrifying passage/region associated with Yama’s path; the verse highlights that the departed must cross such dreadful zones as part of the after-death journey shaped by karma.

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

It presents the post-death route as containing severe, fearsome stretches (like Asipatravana) and links the comfort of travel to merit: donors of footwear are granted an easier mode of passage—traveling ‘horse-mounted’ rather than suffering on foot.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Practice compassionate dāna aligned with real needs—such as donating footwear to the poor or pilgrims—while living ethically, understanding that Garuda Purana frames such charity as merit that eases hardship on the soul’s onward journey.