Shloka 26

The Preta’s Staged Journey to Yama’s City: Monthly Śrāddha Supports, Vaitaraṇī Crossing, and the Witnesses of Deeds

Devanagari script

वयं ते तर्तुकामाय महावैतरणीं नदीम् / शतयोजनविस्तीर्णां पूयशोणितसंकुलाम्

Transliteration

vayaṃ te tartukāmāya mahāvaitaraṇīṃ nadīm / śatayojanavistīrṇāṃ pūyaśoṇitasaṃkulām

Translation

พวกเรามาเพื่อช่วยท่านข้ามแม่น้ำมหาไวตระณี อันกว้างไกลถึงร้อยโยชน์ เต็มแน่นด้วยหนองและโลหิต

Word by Word

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), उत्तमपुरुष-संबन्धि; बहुवचन (plural), प्रथमा विभक्ति (nominative)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), मध्यमपुरुष-संबन्धि; एकवचन (singular), चतुर्थी विभक्ति (dative)

• तर्तुकामाय: to (one) wishing to cross
• तर्तुकामाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तॄ (धातु) + काम (प्रातिपदिक) → तर्तु-काम (कृदन्त/तुमुन् + काम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), एकवचन (singular), चतुर्थी विभक्ति (dative); विशेषण (adjective) — ‘तर्तुं कामः यस्य’ (one who wishes to cross)

• महावैतरणीम्: the great Vaitaraṇī (river)
• महावैतरणीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्) + वैतरणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), एकवचन (singular), द्वितीया विभक्ति (accusative)

• नदीम्: river
• नदीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), एकवचन (singular), द्वितीया विभक्ति (accusative); apposition to महावैतरणीम्

• शतयोजनविस्तीर्णाम्: spread over a hundred yojanas
• शतयोजनविस्तीर्णाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक) + योजन (प्रातिपदिक) + विस्तीर्ण (कृदन्त; √स्तॄ/स्तृ ‘to spread’ → विस्तीर्ण, past participle)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), एकवचन (singular), द्वितीया विभक्ति (accusative); विशेषण — ‘शतयोजनैः विस्तीर्णा’ (spread over a hundred yojanas)

• पूयशोणितसंकुलाम्: filled with pus and blood
• पूयशोणितसंकुलाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूय (प्रातिपदिक) + शोणित (प्रातिपदिक) + संकुल (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-निष्पन्न)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), एकवचन (singular), द्वितीया विभक्ति (accusative); विशेषण — ‘पूय-शोणितैः संकुला’ (filled with pus and blood)

Speaker

Yama’s attendants (Yamadūtas) addressing the departing soul (preta/jīva)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Karmic consequences manifest as terrifying afterlife terrains; aid in crossing depends on prior merit.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala and saṃsāra’s fearful passages; the jīva’s vulnerability without dharma.

Application: Cultivate merit through charity and right conduct while alive; prepare for death with dharmic acts rather than postponing.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Geographic Context

Type: river

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: Vaitaraṇī-crossing and cow-gift (Vaitaraṇī-dhenu) passages in the same adhyāya/section; Garuda Purana: descriptions of narakas with pus/blood imagery in Pretakalpa

Characters & Entities

• Vaitarani
• Yamadutas
• Preta

FAQs

What is the importance of the Vaitaraṇī River in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents Vaitaraṇī as a terrifying boundary in the after-death journey—an ordeal the soul must face, emphasizing the consequences of karma and the need for proper dharmic living and rites.

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

It depicts the soul being confronted by Yama’s agents and led toward a dreadful crossing (Vaitaraṇī), illustrating that the post-mortem path includes guided passage through fearsome regions shaped by one’s deeds.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live ethically to reduce harmful karmic outcomes, and honor ancestral/death rites (such as śrāddha and piṇḍa-dāna where appropriate) as traditional supports for the departed in the Garuda Purana framework.