Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 144
Āśauca, Daśāha Piṇḍa-Rites, Vṛṣotsarga, Sāpiṇḍīkaraṇa, and the Yama-mārga
Path to Yama
प्रकाशयति पाप्पानमात्मानञ्च विनिन्दति / योषिदप्येवमेतस्मिन् मार्गे वै परिदेवति
prakāśayati pāppānamātmānañca vinindati / yoṣidapyevametasmin mārge vai paridevati
اس راہ میں وہ اپنے گناہوں کو ظاہر کرتا اور اپنے ہی نفس کو ملامت کرتا ہے؛ اسی طرح عورت بھی اسی راستے میں دردناک فریاد کرتی ہے۔
Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: Antaḥkaraṇa-sākṣitva: one’s own mind/conscience reveals sins; remorse arises as karmic truth becomes unavoidable.
Vedantic Theme: Inner witness (sākṣin) and the inevitability of karma-phala; purification through acknowledgment as a precursor to reform.
Application: Daily self-audit (svādhyāya), confession before the Divine/teacher, and timely prāyaścitta; cultivate ethical living to avoid post-mortem regret.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: route/liminal passage
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: scenes of the soul recounting deeds before Yama/Chitragupta; lamentation on the path; Garuda Purana: prāyaścitta and dāna as means to reduce papa before death (general internal theme)
FAQs
This verse portrays an unavoidable inner reckoning after death: the departing being involuntarily exposes its own misdeeds and self-condemnation arises as a direct fruit of karma.
It emphasizes the psychological and moral suffering on the post-death route—marked by grief, regret, and self-reproach—before facing Yama’s judgment, indicating that karma manifests as both experience and accountability.
Live with ethical restraint and daily self-audit: reduce harmful actions now, practice confession/atonement while alive, and cultivate dharma so the after-death journey is not dominated by regret.