Shloka 2

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

Devanagari script

तत्सर्वं च परिज्ञाय चित्रगुप्तो निवेदयेत् / चित्रगुप्तस्ततः सर्वं कर्म तस्मै वदत्यथ

Transliteration

tatsarvaṃ ca parijñāya citragupto nivedayet / citraguptastataḥ sarvaṃ karma tasmai vadatyatha

Translation

Tendo apurado plenamente tudo isso, Chitragupta apresenta o relatório; então Chitragupta passa a relatar a Yama a totalidade dos atos daquele ser.

Word by Word

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-रूपम्

• sarvam: all (of it)
• sarvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• parijñāya: having fully known
• parijñāya: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√jñā (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्ययकृदन्तम् (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया—‘ज्ञात्वा’

• citraguptaḥ: Chitragupta
• citraguptaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citragupta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; व्यक्तिनाम

• nivedayet: should report/submit
• nivedayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√vid (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• citraguptaḥ: Chitragupta
• citraguptaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citragupta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम् (adverb)

• sarvam: all
• sarvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• karma: deed/action
• karma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• tasmai: to him
• tasmai: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-रूपम्

• vadati: says/tells
• vadati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vad (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• atha: then/now
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम् (particle/adverb: sequence)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: All actions are known, recorded, and presented; karmic order is precise and inescapable.

Vedantic Theme: Ṛta/dharma as moral causality; the jīva’s accountability under īśvara-niyama (divine governance).

Application: Cultivate ethical vigilance; perform daily self-review (svādhyāya) and corrective conduct before habits harden into destiny.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: court/assembly hall

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: Chitragupta’s record and Yama’s judgment motifs across preta-mārga and naraka descriptions

Characters & Entities

• Chitragupta
• Yama

FAQs

What is the importance of Chitragupta in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents Chitragupta as the karmic accountant who verifies and formally reports a person’s deeds to Yama, establishing the basis for post-death judgment.

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

It indicates a judicial sequence in Yama’s realm: deeds are examined, then reported to Yama—implying that the soul’s post-death experience follows an evaluation of karma rather than randomness.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with accountability: since actions are portrayed as fully known and reported, cultivate ethical conduct, truthful speech, and dharmic choices as daily discipline.