Shloka 54

Garuḍa’s Return to Vaikuṇṭha and the Comprehensive Inquiry into Death-Rites and the Preta’s Journey

Devanagari script

यानि चान्यानि भूतानि तेषामन्ते भवेच्च किम् / पापिनो ये दुराचारा ये चान्ये गतबुद्धयः

Transliteration

yāni cānyāni bhūtāni teṣāmante bhavecca kim / pāpino ye durācārā ye cānye gatabuddhayaḥ

Translation

แล้วสรรพสัตว์อื่นๆ ในบั้นปลายจะเป็นเช่นไร? เหล่าคนบาป ผู้ประพฤติชั่ว และผู้อื่นที่ปัญญาเสื่อมถอย—ย่อมมีผลสุดท้ายประการใด

Word by Word

• yāni: which (things)
• yāni: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात

• anyāni: other
• anyāni: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; भूतानि इति विशेषणम्

• bhūtāni: beings
• bhūtāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन

• ante: at the end
• ante: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन

• bhavet: would be/should be
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात

• kim: what
• kim: Sambandha (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक/अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय (what?)

• pāpinaḥ: sinful
• pāpinaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन; ये इति विशेषणम्

• ye: those who
• ye: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• durācārāḥ: of bad conduct
• durācārāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur-ācāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (dur + ācāra)

• ye: those who
• ye: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात

• anye: others
• anye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन

• gata-buddhayaḥ: those whose understanding is lost
• gata-buddhayaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gata (कृदन्त; √gam धातु) + buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; 'येषां बुद्धिः गता' इति (whose intellect is gone)

Speaker

Garuda (Vinata-putra) addressing Lord Vishnu

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Naraka

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Corrupt conduct and loss of discernment lead to adverse final outcomes; ethical degradation has definite karmic termini (naraka/low rebirth), while discernment is protective.

Vedantic Theme: Buddhi (viveka) is the gateway to liberation; its fall (gata-buddhi) intensifies bondage; dharma sustains sattva and clarity.

Application: Strengthen discernment through satsanga, study, and disciplined living; avoid habitual wrongdoing; seek prāyaścitta and reformation when lapses occur.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: cosmic/eschatological inquiry

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana naraka descriptions for specific pāpas and dūrācāra; Garuda Purana emphasis on viveka and Viṣṇu-smaraṇa as rescue for the fallen

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of asking about sinners’ fate in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames the core inquiry of the Preta Kanda: how karma and conduct determine the post-death outcome, especially for the sinful and morally deluded.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

It introduces a moral classification—sinners, the corrupt, and the deluded—signaling that different dispositions and actions lead to different end-states after death, which the text then elaborates through Yama’s realm and karmic results.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate right conduct (ācāra) and clear discernment (buddhi): avoid harmful actions and self-deception, since the text treats moral choices as shaping one’s eventual destiny.