Shloka 9

Arrival at Yama’s cities: Citragupta’s scrutiny, Dharmadhvaja’s gate, and the necessity of dāna

Devanagari script

प्राप्तं सुकृतिनं दृष्ट्वा स्थानाच्च लति सूर्यजः / एष मे मण्डलं भित्त्वा ब्रह्मलोकं प्रयास्यति

Transliteration

prāptaṃ sukṛtinaṃ dṛṣṭvā sthānācca lati sūryajaḥ / eṣa me maṇḍalaṃ bhittvā brahmalokaṃ prayāsyati

Translation

เมื่อเห็นผู้มีบุญมาถึง สุริยบุตรคือยมย่อมลุกจากที่นั่งว่า ‘ผู้นี้จักทะลวงเขตมณฑลของเรา แล้วมุ่งไปสู่พรหมโลก’

Word by Word

• प्राप्तम्: arrived/reached
• प्राप्तम्: Karma (Object; ‘having reached/arrived’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• सुकृतिनम्: the meritorious one
• सुकृतिनम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुकृतिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund)

• स्थानात्: from (his) place
• स्थानात्: Apadana (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादान (from)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• लति: departs/moves away
• लति: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लट् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• सूर्यजः: the son of the Sun (Yama)
• सूर्यजः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सूर्यस्य जः = born of the Sun)

• एषः: this (person)
• एषः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; enclitic pronoun

• मण्डलम्: sphere/orb/region
• मण्डलम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• भित्त्वा: having pierced/broken through
• भित्त्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भिद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund)

• ब्रह्मलोकम्: Brahmaloka
• ब्रह्मलोकम्: Karma (Goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणः लोकः)

• प्रयास्यति: will go forth/will proceed
• प्रयास्यति: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-या (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Svarga

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: महापुण्येन जीवः यममण्डलं भित्त्वा उच्चलोकं गच्छति; अधिकार-सीमा कर्मफलानुसारं

Vedantic Theme: लोक-भेदः कर्मोपाधि-जन्यः; उत्तम-पुण्येन उच्च-गति, तथापि मोक्षात् भिन्नः

Application: दीर्घकालीन पुण्य-संचयः—दान, सत्य, तपः, स्वाध्याय, सेवा—इत्यादिभिः जीवन-लक्ष्यं उच्चतरं कर्तुम्

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Geographic Context

Type: court and cosmic boundary (mandala)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: स्वर्ग/ब्रह्मलोक-गति-वर्णन; पुण्यवानां विशेष-गति; Garuda Purana: यममण्डल-सीमा/अधिकार-वर्णन (सामान्य-प्रकरण)

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Surya
• Brahma
• Brahmaloka

FAQs

What is the importance of Brahmaloka in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents Brahmaloka as a higher post-mortem destination reserved for the highly meritorious, beyond the ordinary jurisdiction of Yama’s realm.

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

It indicates a graded afterlife: a sukṛtin (one rich in merit) can pass beyond Yama’s domain and move upward to Brahmaloka, implying spiritual elevation through accumulated puṇya.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live in a way that builds sukṛti—truthfulness, charity, self-discipline, and dharmic conduct—so one’s trajectory after death is described as moving toward higher states rather than bondage.