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Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 28

Post-cremation Ripening of Karma and the Principal Narakas

Devanagari script

दुः खस्य हेतुभूतानि पापकर्मकृतां नृणाम् / चक्रेष्वारोपिताः केचिद्भाम्यन्ते तत्र मानवाः

Transliteration

duḥ khasya hetubhūtāni pāpakarmakṛtāṃ nṛṇām / cakreṣvāropitāḥ kecidbhāmyante tatra mānavāḥ

Translation

Tại đó, một số người vì đã tạo tác ác nghiệp, nguyên nhân gây ra đau khổ, nên bị trói chặt vào những bánh xe và bị quay cuồng không dứt.

Word by Word
दुःखस्यof suffering
दुःखस्य:
Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootदुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन
हेतुभूतानिhaving become causes; causal
हेतुभूतानि:
Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootहेतु (प्रातिपदिक) + भू (धातु) → भूत (कृदन्त, क्त)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle) ‘भूत’
पापकर्मकृताम्of those who have done sinful deeds
पापकर्मकृताम्:
Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootपाप (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त, क्त)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘पापकर्म’ इति तत्पुरुषसमास + ‘कृत’ (क्त)
नृणाम्of men
नृणाम्:
Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootनृ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन
चक्रेषुon/among wheels
चक्रेषु:
Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootचक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन
आरोपिताःmounted; placed upon
आरोपिताः:
Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootआ + रुह् (धातु) → आरोपित (कृदन्त, क्त)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त
केचित्some
केचित्:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootकिम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक सर्वनाम
भ्राम्यन्तेthey whirl/are made to revolve
भ्राम्यन्ते:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootभ्रम् (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद
तत्रthere
तत्र:
Desha-adhikarana (Place adverbial/देशाधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतत्र (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)
मानवाःhumans
मानवाः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootमानव (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन
Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Naraka

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Pāpa itself becomes the direct cause (hetu) of duḥkha; suffering is karmically self-generated and inescapable until exhausted.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-bandha and its phala; moral causality within saṃsāra (adhyāropa of agency leading to bondage).

Application: Avoid harmful actions; cultivate restraint and repentance early, recognizing that consequences mature with force and duration.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Geographic Context

Type: hellish torture-ground with wheels (cakra)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: naraka descriptions of cakra/yantra torments (adjacent verses 2.3.29–32); Garuda Purana: general karma-phala framing in Pretakalpa sections on Yama’s punishments

Characters & Entities
Y
Yama
H
Humans

FAQs

This verse states that sinful actions themselves become the direct causes of suffering, showing a moral causality where pāpa-karma ripens into specific consequences in Yama’s realm.

Within the Preta Kanda narrative of post-death experience, it depicts one class of torment in Yama-loka: certain sinners are fastened to wheels and forced to whirl, illustrating the fruits of wrongdoing encountered after death.

Treat harmful actions as future suffering-in-seed: reduce unethical conduct, practice restraint and compassion, and align daily life with dharma to avoid creating causes of pain.

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