Shloka 5

Dāna as Prāyaścitta; Deathbed Gifts; Antyeṣṭi Procedures; Nārāyaṇa-bali for Untimely Deaths

Devanagari script

प्रायश्चित्ते त्वागता ये तेभ्यो दद्यान्नरो दश / ततो यमद्वारपथे पूयशोणितसंकुले

Transliteration

prāyaścitte tvāgatā ye tebhyo dadyānnaro daśa / tato yamadvārapathe pūyaśoṇitasaṃkule

Translation

Sa mga dumating upang humingi ng pag-aalis-sala (prāyaścitta), ang tao ay dapat magbigay sa kanila ng sampung handog. Pagkaraan nito, sa daang patungo sa tarangkahan ni Yama, may landas na siksik sa nana at dugo.

Word by Word

• प्रायश्चित्ते: in/at the expiation rite
• प्रायश्चित्ते: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रायश्चित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक निपात (but/indeed)

• आगताः: who have come/arrived
• आगताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु) → आगत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; ये इति विशेषणम्

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तेभ्यः: to them
• तेभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), बहुवचन

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), तृतीयपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• दश: ten (items)
• दश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दशन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; (दानानि इत्यध्याहार्य) कर्मविशेषणम्

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय/तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (thereafter)

• यमद्वारपथे: on the path to Yama’s gate
• यमद्वारपथे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वार (प्रातिपदिक) + पथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; समासः—यमस्य द्वारम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) + पथः (तत्पुरुष)

• पूयशोणितसंकुले: filled with pus and blood
• पूयशोणितसंकुले: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूय (प्रातिपदिक) + शोणित (प्रातिपदिक) + संकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक (पथे इति पुं), सप्तमी, एकवचन; समासः—पूयशोणितयोः संकुलः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dāna and prāyaścitta mitigate suffering on the post-mortem journey; neglect leads to dreadful experiences shaped by pāpa.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala inevitability; ethical causality extending beyond death; urgency of purification before the body falls.

Application: Make amends promptly (apology, restitution, charity); support those engaged in expiation/rehabilitation; treat ethical repair as time-sensitive.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Geographic Context

Type: path/threshold

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Preta-kalpa: Yamadūta encounter, Yamamārga hardships, and the role of dāna/prāyaścitta in easing passage; Garuda Purana: descriptions of foul rivers/paths (pus, blood, filth) as karmic landscapes

Characters & Entities

• Yama

FAQs

What is the importance of prayashchitta (atonement) in Garuda Purana?

This verse links expiation with giving (dāna): offering a prescribed amount to those connected with rites of atonement is presented as a supportive act before facing the post-death journey.

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

It introduces the Yamadvāra-patha—the route toward Yama’s gate—as a harsh, impure terrain, emphasizing the fearful character of the after-death passage described in the Preta Kanda.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Practice ethical living and, when undertaking expiatory rites, include sincere charity/dāna—supporting ritual specialists or the needy—as a concrete expression of repentance and responsibility.