Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 10
Preta-bhāva: Causes, Remedies, and the Rationale of Post-death Rites
Question-Catalogue
किमर्थमातुरो दानं ददाति द्विजपुङ्गवे / बन्धून्मित्राण्यमित्रांश्च क्षमापयति तत्कथम्
kimarthamāturo dānaṃ dadāti dvijapuṅgave / bandhūnmitrāṇyamitrāṃśca kṣamāpayati tatkatham
Vì lý do gì người sắp lìa đời lại bố thí, hỡi bậc tối thượng trong hàng nhị sinh? Và bằng cách nào ông cầu xin sự tha thứ từ thân quyến, bạn bè, thậm chí cả kẻ thù?
Garuda (Vinata-putra) addressing Lord Vishnu
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: End-of-life dāna and seeking forgiveness function as karmic rectification—lightening burdens, dissolving enmity, and preparing the mind for a better passage.
Vedantic Theme: Antaḥkaraṇa-śuddhi through tyāga (giving) and kṣamā; loosening rāga-dveṣa to reduce saṃsāric binding at the final moment.
Application: Before death (and even in daily life), practice generosity and reconciliation; resolve conflicts, apologize, forgive, and reduce attachment to possessions.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: domestic space or hospice-like chamber
Related Themes: Garuda Purana teachings on dāna at antima-kāla and its fruits; prāyaścitta and confession-like reconciliation (general); Garuda Purana śrāddha contexts where gifts to brāhmaṇas are praised (general)
FAQs
This verse frames dāna at the time of death as a purposeful act that prompts inquiry into its spiritual necessity—implying it is connected to preparing the departing soul ethically and ritually for the after-death journey.
By highlighting gifts and asking forgiveness from all—kin, friends, and enemies—the verse points to moral and relational “unburdening” as part of end-of-life preparation, a theme in the Preta Kanda where conduct and rites influence the post-mortem condition.
Practice timely charity, reconcile conflicts, and seek/offer forgiveness while healthy—so one’s final period is not dominated by unresolved guilt, hostility, or attachment.