Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 79
Yamamārga, Antyeṣṭi-vidhi, and Daśāhika Piṇḍa-dāna
Road to Yama and Ten-Day Offerings
अहन्यहनि वै प्रेतो योजनानां शतद्वयम् / चत्वारिंशत्तथा सप्त अहोरात्रेण गच्छति
ahanyahani vai preto yojanānāṃ śatadvayam / catvāriṃśattathā sapta ahorātreṇa gacchati
دن بہ دن وہ پریت دو سو یوجن چلتا ہے؛ اور ایک دن رات میں وہ سینتالیس یوجن بھی طے کرتا ہے۔
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: Post-mortem movement is systematic and compelled; the jīva is carried by the momentum of karma through fixed stages.
Vedantic Theme: Saṁsāra as niyati-like regularity under karma; the jīva’s agency is constrained once the prārabdha-like sequence unfolds.
Application: Contemplate mortality and the structured consequences of actions; use life’s time to cultivate merit, devotion, and ethical clarity.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: cosmic road with quantified distances
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: day-by-day travel metrics and staging posts on the way to Yama; Garuda Purana: calendrical linkage of rites to journey stages
FAQs
This verse frames the post-death passage as a structured journey with defined stages, reinforcing the urgency of rites (like śrāddha and piṇḍa-dāna) meant to aid and steady the preta on its path.
It depicts the preta as moving continuously, day by day, covering set distances—presenting the after-death transition not as instant arrival but as a progressive travel toward Yama’s domain and subsequent judgmental stages.
Treat death rituals and remembrance practices as time-sensitive duties—supporting family continuity, ethical living, and conscientious observance of śrāddha as a disciplined response to mortality.