Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 12

Preta-mārga Supports (Dāna), Chitragupta’s Accounting, and the Enumeration of Narakas

Devanagari script

तदाश्रितो महामार्गे वैनतेय स गच्छति / एक एवास्ति सर्वत्रे व्यवहारः खगाधिप

Transliteration

tadāśrito mahāmārge vainateya sa gacchati / eka evāsti sarvatre vyavahāraḥ khagādhipa

Translation

Nương tựa vào điều ấy, người ấy tiến bước trên đại lộ, hỡi Vainateya. Quả thật, khắp mọi nơi chỉ có một quy tắc hành xử nhất quán, hỡi chúa tể loài chim.

Word by Word

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (demonstrative pronoun: that)

• आश्रितः: having resorted to; dependent on
• आश्रितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-श्रि (धातु) → आश्रित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle): ‘having resorted to/depending on’

• महामार्गे: on/in the great path
• महामार्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामार्ग (प्रातिपदिक: महा + मार्ग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (locative): in the great road/path

• वैनतेय: O Vainateya (Garuda)
• वैनतेय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैनतेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन (vocative)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (he)

• गच्छति: goes
• गच्छति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एकः: one; single
• एकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• एव: indeed; only
• एव: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• अस्ति: is; exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सर्वत्र: everywhere
• सर्वत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place)

• व्यवहारः: practice; transaction; conduct
• व्यवहारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यवहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• खगाधिप: O lord of birds
• खगाधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खगाधिप (प्रातिपदिक: खग + अधिप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन (vocative)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: A single consistent rule/order (vyavahāra/niyama) operates everywhere; progress depends on proper reliance on prescribed supports.

Vedantic Theme: Īśvara-niyati and dharma as universal order; the jīva moves within a lawful moral cosmos.

Application: Live with consistent ethical conduct and prepare supports for the end-of-life journey through charity and rites aligned with śāstra.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: path/road

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: descriptions of the soul’s road (mārga) and reliance on śrāddha/दान supports; Garuda Purana: Yama’s governance and uniformity of karmic law

Characters & Entities

• Garuda (Vainateya)

FAQs

What is the importance of the 'mahāmārga' (great path) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames the post-death journey as a defined route—“the great path”—that the departed traverses with the help of a specific support previously described in the chapter.

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

It emphasizes that the departed proceeds by relying on a particular aid, and that the after-death realm operates under a consistent, universal procedure (vyavahāra) rather than arbitrary outcomes.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live and act with ethical consistency, and perform death-related duties with steadiness—this verse highlights that order and lawful consequence govern the journey, not randomness.