Shloka 87

Dharma–Adharma Marks; Daśāha, Piṇḍa Formation, Śrāddha Calendar, Śayyā-dāna, and Sapiṇḍīkaraṇa Rules

Devanagari script

पीडयन्ति न तं याम्याः पुरुषा भीषणाननाः / न घर्मेण न शीतेन बाध्यते स नरः क्वचित्

Transliteration

pīḍayanti na taṃ yāmyāḥ puruṣā bhīṣaṇānanāḥ / na gharmeṇa na śītena bādhyate sa naraḥ kvacit

Translation

เหล่าทูตยมผู้มีใบหน้าน่ากลัวไม่ทรมานเขา; บุรุษนั้นไม่ถูกรบกวนด้วยความร้อนหรือความหนาว ณ ที่ใดเลย।

Word by Word

• pīḍayanti: torment
• pīḍayanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pīḍ (धा॒तु)
• Form: Laṭ (Present), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa, Bahu-vacana (plural/बहुवचन)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Pratiṣedha-nipāta (negation/प्रतिषेध)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Eka-vacana

• yāmyāḥ: Yama’s (servants)
• yāmyāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yāmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahu-vacana; ‘of Yama/pertaining to Yama’

• puruṣāḥ: men/agents
• puruṣāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahu-vacana

• bhīṣaṇa-ānanāḥ: terrible-faced
• bhīṣaṇa-ānanāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhīṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ānana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Bahuvrīhi (possessive: ‘having terrifying faces’), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahu-vacana; qualifies puruṣāḥ

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle

• gharmeṇa: by heat
• gharmeṇa: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tr̥tīyā (Instrumental), Eka-vacana

• na: nor
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle

• śītena: by cold
• śītena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śīta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka (commonly), Tr̥tīyā (Instrumental), Eka-vacana; ‘by cold’

• bādhyate: is afflicted
• bādhyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bādh (धा॒तु)
• Form: Laṭ (Present), Ātmanepada, Prathama-puruṣa, Eka-vacana; Karmaṇi-prayoga (passive/कर्मणि)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Eka-vacana

• naraḥ: the man
• naraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Eka-vacana; apposition to saḥ

• kvacit: at any time
• kvacit: Kāla/Deśa-adhikaraṇa (काल/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: Deśa-kāla-avyaya (indefinite adverb/अनिश्चित), ‘ever/anywhere’

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Ekoddishta

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: As a fruit statement following śayyā-dāna in the rite-sequence (contextual)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Meritorious dāna (here, śayyā-dāna) functions as protective karma: it averts torment by Yama’s servants and mitigates environmental suffering (heat/cold) in the afterlife journey.

Vedantic Theme: Karmic law as moral-psychic protection; suffering is conditioned, and specific causes yield specific alleviations until higher release.

Application: Use dharmic giving as a disciplined practice; in memorial contexts, perform prescribed gifts with sincerity, and in life cultivate compassion that ‘cools heat and warms cold’ for others.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: yamaloka pathways/courts (implied)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.34.86: comforts in Indra’s and Yama’s abodes due to śayyā-dāna (immediate antecedent); Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: descriptions of yāmya-puruṣas, post-death path hardships, and protective merits of dāna (general internal parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Yama-dutas (yāmyāḥ puruṣāḥ)

FAQs

What is the importance of protection from Yama-dutas in the Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights a key Preta Kanda theme: those aligned with dharma (and the prescribed supports for the departed) are not harassed by Yama’s terrifying agents and are spared harsh conditions like extreme heat and cold on the post-death path.

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

It implies that the journey toward Yama’s realm includes suffering and environmental extremes, but a qualified soul is exempt—Yama’s attendants do not seize or torment him, indicating a smoother, protected passage.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with ethical restraint and dharmic conduct, and support ancestral rites with sincerity; the teaching frames moral life and proper observances as safeguards against fear, suffering, and anxiety about death.