Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 33

Vṛṣotsarga (Bull-Release Gift): Procedure, Merit, and Narratives on Dharma, Karma, and Liberation

Devanagari script

गोपुरद्वाररचितं सौधप्रासादमण्डितम् / चत्वरापणपण्यादिनरनारीसमाकुलम्

Transliteration

gopuradvāraracitaṃ saudhaprāsādamaṇḍitam / catvarāpaṇapaṇyādinaranārīsamākulam

Translation

அந்நகரம் உயர்ந்த கோபுரவாயில்களாலும் உறுதியான நுழைவாயில்களாலும் அமைக்கப்பட்டு, மாளிகை அரண்மனைகளால் அலங்கரிக்கப்பட்டது; சந்திப்புத் திடல்கள், கடைகள், சந்தைப் பொருட்கள் முதலியவற்றால் நிறைந்து, ஆண்-பெண் கூட்டத்தால் நெருக்கமாயிருந்தது।

Word by Word

• गोपुर: gateway-tower
• गोपुर: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative, singular)

• द्वार: door, gate
• द्वार: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative, singular)

• रचितम्: constructed, made
• रचितम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रच् (धातु) → रचित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (past passive participle, neuter, nom/acc sg)

• सौध: mansion, palace
• सौध: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative, singular)

• प्रासाद: palace, lofty building
• प्रासाद: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रासाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (masculine, nominative/accusative, singular)

• मण्डितम्: adorned, decorated
• मण्डितम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मण्ड् (धातु) → मण्डित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (past passive participle, neuter, nom/acc sg)

• चत्वर: square, crossroads
• चत्वर: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चत्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative, singular)

• आपण: shop, market-stall
• आपण: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आपण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (masculine, nominative/accusative, singular)

• पण्य: merchandise, goods
• पण्य: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative, singular)

• आदि: and so on, etc.
• आदि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थे/आद्यार्थे (indeclinable; 'etc., beginning with')

• नर: man
• नर: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (masculine, nominative/accusative, singular)

• नारी: woman
• नारी: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (feminine, nominative/accusative, singular)

• समाकुलम्: crowded, filled
• समाकुलम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + आकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative, singular)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: External prosperity and social bustle are appearances that may conceal underlying karmic conditions; the seen world is a field where results are displayed.

Vedantic Theme: Vyavahāra vs. paramārtha—phenomena are observable and compelling yet not final truth.

Application: Do not equate wealth, crowds, and civic success with inner purity; cultivate discernment (viveka) while engaging society.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: city

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: descriptions of cities/regions encountered by the departing soul and the display of karmic outcomes (contextual parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Pretas

FAQs

What is the importance of describing a city-like realm in the Garuda Purana?

This verse uses familiar urban imagery—gates, palaces, squares and markets—to make the after-death realm vivid and concrete, emphasizing that the soul’s post-mortem experience is an ordered domain with distinct places and movement.

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

By portraying an inhabited, structured environment, it implies the preta’s journey is not a vague void but a traversable realm with stations and crowds, aligning with the Preta Kanda’s narrative of passage through Yama’s administrative world.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat death-ritual duties and ethical conduct seriously: the text frames the afterlife as a consequential, rule-governed journey, encouraging dharma, responsibility to ancestors, and mindful living.