Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 119
Āśauca, Daśāha Piṇḍa-Rites, Vṛṣotsarga, Sāpiṇḍīkaraṇa, and the Yama-mārga
Path to Yama
कुत्र यामि न हि गामि जीवितं हा मृतस्य मरणं पुनर्न वै / इत्थमेव विलपन् प्रयात्यसौ यातनार्हधृतविग्रहः पति
kutra yāmi na hi gāmi jīvitaṃ hā mṛtasya maraṇaṃ punarna vai / itthameva vilapan prayātyasau yātanārhadhṛtavigrahaḥ pati
“我将往何处去？我已不能回到生命。唉——既已死者，并无第二次死亡。”他如此哀诉，便继续离去，负持一具堪受刑苦与惩罚之身。
Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra in Preta Kanda context)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: Worldly life is not retrievable after death; without liberation, one continues under karma with a body suited to experience pain.
Vedantic Theme: Anityatā (impermanence) and saṃsāra-bhaya; necessity of sādhanā before death; karma’s inevitability absent jñāna/bhakti.
Application: Practice remembrance of death (maraṇa-smṛti), cultivate devotion and ethical life now; prepare spiritually rather than relying on ‘second chances’ after death.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: journey-path between stations
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: yātanā-śarīra terminology; preta’s lament dialogues; inevitability of karma-phala
FAQs
This verse highlights the preta’s helpless transition after death—unable to return to life and compelled to move on with a torment-susceptible body—underscoring why post-death rites and dharmic living are emphasized.
It depicts the immediate psychological state of the departed—lamenting and disoriented—yet inevitably proceeding onward in an embodied condition (vigraha) that can undergo consequences (yātanā) aligned with karma.
Live with ethical restraint to reduce harmful karmic outcomes, and support traditional śrāddha/pinda-related duties where appropriate, as the text frames the post-death passage as difficult and consequence-bearing.