Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 27

Yama-mārga (Adhvan) and the Courts of Yama: Vaivasvatī and Chitragupta

Devanagari script

मणिमुक्तामये दिव्ये आसने परमाद्भुते / तत्रस्थो गणयत्यायुर्मानुषेष्वितरेषु च

Transliteration

maṇimuktāmaye divye āsane paramādbhute / tatrastho gaṇayatyāyurmānuṣeṣvitareṣu ca

Translation

彼处他端坐于由宝石与珍珠所成、至妙神奇的天座之上，计算众生寿量——人类以及其他诸类生灵皆然。

Word by Word

• मणिमुक्तामये: in (a seat) made of jewels and pearls
• मणिमुक्तामये: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मणि (प्रातिपदिक) + मुक्तामय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—मणि-मुक्ताभ्यां मयम् (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष: 'made of jewels and pearls'); विशेषणम् (आसने)

• दिव्ये: divine
• दिव्ये: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (आसने)

• आसने: on/in the seat
• आसने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• परमाद्भुते: most wonderful
• परमाद्भुते: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक) + अद्भुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—परमं च तत् अद्भुतं च (कर्मधारय); विशेषणम् (आसने)

• तत्रस्थः: being stationed there
• तत्रस्थः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय) + स्थ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √स्था)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; कृदन्त (क्त/निष्ठा-प्रायः) 'स्थित'; अव्ययीभाव-समासः—तत्र-स्थः = 'there-situated'

• गणयति: counts/calculates
• गणयति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गण् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• आयुः: lifespan
• आयुः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• मानुषेषु: among humans
• मानुषेषु: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• इतरेषु: among others (non-human beings)
• इतरेषु: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इतर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (मानुषेषु केषु? इतर-लोक/प्राणिषु)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Āyus (lifespan) and embodied destinies are subject to cosmic accounting; beings across species/classes are within the scope of karmic law.

Vedantic Theme: Saṃsāra’s regulated continuity across yonis; karma as the determinant of embodiment and duration under divine oversight.

Application: Use human life as a rare opportunity: prioritize dharma and devotion; remember mortality (maraṇa-smṛti) to guide choices.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: throne hall/record chamber

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: Chitragupta’s role as karmic accountant; subsequent judgment and assignment of experiences based on recorded deeds

Characters & Entities

• Yama

FAQs

What is the importance of Yama’s reckoning of lifespan in Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights Yama’s role as the cosmic auditor who determines and verifies each being’s allotted lifespan, establishing the basis for post-death proceedings and karmic adjudication.

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

By depicting Yama seated in his court calculating lifespans for all beings, it places the soul’s journey within an ordered system where death timing and subsequent judgment are governed by a higher administrative law.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with accountability: treat time as finite, align actions with dharma, and perform remembrance/ritual duties with sincerity—since consequences are portrayed as precisely recorded and assessed.