Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 44
Karma, Varṇa-Dharma, and Dāna as the Soul’s True Companion on the Path to Yama
अध्यायमेनं सुकृतस्य सारं शृणोति गायत्यपि भावशुद्ध्या / स वै कुलीनः स च धर्मयुक्तो विश्वालयं याति परं स नूनम्
adhyāyamenaṃ sukṛtasya sāraṃ śṛṇoti gāyatyapi bhāvaśuddhyā / sa vai kulīnaḥ sa ca dharmayukto viśvālayaṃ yāti paraṃ sa nūnam
Ai với tâm ý thanh tịnh lắng nghe chương này—tinh túy của các công đức—hoặc dù chỉ tụng đọc, người ấy thật sự trở nên cao quý và an trụ trong chánh pháp; quả thật, chắc chắn sẽ đạt đến nơi ở tối thượng, chốn cư ngụ thiêng liêng bao trùm muôn loài.
Lord Vishnu (addressing Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Śravaṇa/gāyana with inner purity transforms character (kulīnatva, dharma-yoga) and leads to the supreme abode.
Vedantic Theme: Sādhana through śuddha-citta; liberation/parama-gati is linked to inner purification and devotion rather than mere ritual form.
Application: Daily recitation or attentive listening to the chapter with intention-purification (truthfulness, non-harm, humility), treating it as a regular sādhanā.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: divine abode
Related Themes: Garuda Purana, Preta/Mokṣa-oriented passages praising śravaṇa-kīrtana as merit and as a means to higher gati (general motif across 2nd khaṇḍa).
FAQs
This verse presents a phala-śruti: hearing or reciting the chapter with sincere inner purity is said to generate sukṛta (merit), strengthen dharma, and lead the practitioner toward the supreme divine abode.
In the Preta Kanda’s after-death framework, merit and dharmic alignment directly influence post-mortem outcomes; this verse emphasizes that devotional listening/recitation becomes a merit-producing support for a favorable spiritual destination.
Regularly read or chant this section with bhāva-śuddhi (ethical intent and sincerity), and pair it with dharmic conduct—truthfulness, compassion, and duty—so practice is not merely ritual but character-forming.