Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 1
Śravaṇa-Mahātmya: The Śravaṇas, Cosmic Testimony, and the Paths of the Puruṣārthas
प्रेतयात्रादिनिरूपणं नाम षोडशो ऽध्यायः गरुड उवाच / एको मे संशयो देव हृदये सम्प्रबाधते / श्रमणाः कस्य पुत्राश्च कथं यमपुरे स्थिताः
pretayātrādinirūpaṇaṃ nāma ṣoḍaśo 'dhyāyaḥ garuḍa uvāca / eko me saṃśayo deva hṛdaye samprabādhate / śramaṇāḥ kasya putrāśca kathaṃ yamapure sthitāḥ
第十六章，名为《阐明亡灵（preta）之行旅》。迦楼罗说道：“主宰啊，我心中有一疑深深扰动——这些沙门（śramaṇa，苦行者）是谁之子？他们又如何得以在阎摩之城（Yamapura，审判之境）中出现？”
Garuḍa (Vinātā-putra), speaking to Lord Viṣṇu
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: Legitimate inquiry (saṃśaya) is presented as a doorway to understanding the mechanics of karmic judgment and the status of ascetics in the afterlife order.
Vedantic Theme: Viveka through śravaṇa-prayojana: questioning refines understanding of dharma and the unseen (adṛṣṭa) workings of karma.
Application: Use respectful questioning to clarify ethical and spiritual confusion; study teachings on death and afterlife to live with greater discernment.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: city
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: prētayātrā-nirūpaṇa (chapter heading indicates systematic account of the soul’s journey); Garuda Purana narratives of Yama’s court, messengers, and judgment procedures
FAQs
This verse frames Yamapura as the place where beings are accounted for after death; Garuḍa’s question introduces the doctrine of post-death judgment and the categories of souls who arrive there.
Indirectly—by asking how even “śramaṇas” are found in Yama’s city, the text signals that after-death destinations depend on karma and dharma, not merely external identity, setting up the later explanation of the preta’s journey and judgment.
Do not rely on labels or appearances of religiosity; cultivate ethical conduct (dharma) and sincere practice, since accountability is tied to actions and intentions.