Shloka 1
The Preta’s Staged Journey to Yama’s City: Monthly Śrāddha Supports, Vaitaraṇī Crossing, and the Witnesses of Deeds
यमलोकविस्तारतन्माहात्म्यतद्याननिरूपणं नाम पञ्चदशो ऽध्यायः श्रीभगवानुवाच / एवं विलपतस्तस्य प्रेतस्यैवं खगेश्वर / क्रन्दमानस्य नितरां पीडितस्य च किङ्करैः
yamalokavistāratanmāhātmyatadyānanirūpaṇaṃ nāma pañcadaśo 'dhyāyaḥ śrībhagavānuvāca / evaṃ vilapatastasya pretasyaivaṃ khageśvara / krandamānasya nitarāṃ pīḍitasya ca kiṅkaraiḥ
پندرہواں باب ‘یملوک کی وسعت، اس کی عظمت اور وہاں کے سفر کی تفصیل’ کہلاتا ہے۔ شری بھگوان نے فرمایا—اے خگیشور! وہ پریت اس طرح فریاد کرتا، بلند آواز سے روتا اور یم کے کِنکرَوں کے ہاتھوں سخت ستایا جاتا تھا کہ…
Lord Vishnu (Śrī Bhagavān) speaking to Garuda (Khageśvara/Vinatā-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: The preta’s suffering and being driven by Yama’s attendants signals karmic accountability after death.
Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala and saṃsāra: embodied attachments culminate in post-mortem consequences; the jīva undergoes experiences shaped by prior actions.
Application: Cultivate ethical conduct and remembrance of Hari; prepare for death through right living and detachment from transient relations and possessions.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: cosmic realm/city-domain (to be detailed in chapter)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: Yama-dūta/kinkara descriptions and the preta’s lament (general motif across journey-to-Yama sections); Garuda Purana: subsequent verses in this chapter detailing the route, city, and stations of the preta
FAQs
This verse introduces a dedicated chapter that frames the after-death narrative—how the preta is carried/compelled onward and why Yama’s realm is described—so readers understand karmic consequence and the need for dharmic living and proper rites.
It depicts the preta in a transitional state—lamenting and wailing—while being driven and afflicted by Yama’s attendants, indicating the compelled movement toward Yama’s domain as part of post-mortem judgment and experience.
Live with restraint and dharma to reduce harmful karmic outcomes, and support traditional śrāddha/antyeṣṭi duties for the departed so the transition is approached with responsibility and remembrance.