Brahmanasamskara

SOME INSIDE VIEW ABOUT GARUDA PURANAM

Garuda Purana is a Sathrika Purana and bracketed with other Puranas like Vishnu, Narada, Bhagawarta -Padma and Varaha puranas etc.It has now 19000 slokas available and divided as Poorva Kanda and Uttara Kanda. This purana was first narrated by Vishnu to Garuda. Then GarudatoKashyapa,Bhrigu,Vashishtha, Vamadeva,Parassarar,and Veda Vyasa respectiely. Vyasa imparted to Romaharshan who is also called Sootha Munivar.

Garuda Puranam is one of the eighteen puranas. This Puranam deals with cause of birth / death, after death what happens to the soul,the details about naraka loka / swarga loka,theways to attain moksha ? etc.


Sootha Munivar, was the one of Sishyas of Saint Veda Vyasa. He narrated this Puranam to the Naimicharanya Vasis on their request. In this purana Garuda Bagavan raises various queries relating to the Life, Death, Jeeva, Atma, Soul after death, Way to attain Mukthi, how to avoid another janma, how to come out of pretha form after death etc. etc. Lord Vishnu explains to the Garuda point by point for all the queries raised by him. This forms the gist of Garuda Puranam.

Garuda Puranam deals with in detail about what are the transformation taking place to a soul/ jeeva after death. What are the difficulties the pretha roopa soul has to undergo in Naraka Lokas ? How they travel to Yama puri?. What are the ways to get a good life after death.? How to get swarga loka. How to attain Mukthi ?.


In this purana Lord Vishnu says that if one is following his Dharma promptly and properly in the form what is expected of him , that would take care of him after his death.Lord Vishnu says that there are 84 lakhs varieties of Jeevas/ Yonis in this prapancha .They are equally divided into four category. They are ANDAJAM, URPISAM, CHARAYUCHAM, SWEDHACHAM ETC. In Andajam there are 21 lakhs varieties of jeevas coming out of Eggs, like birds etc. The second one is jeevas coming out of earth like trees etc -all taavara lives. The one coming out of Garba is called Charayucham.Human beings etc belong this group. The jeevas coming out of sweat/ water etc are the fourth variety. Mosquitoes etc are included in this category.

A land where the KRISHNACHARAM variety of Black colour deers are living is considered as Punya Bhoomi. The presence of 33 crores devas are reported to be present only in such punya Bhoomi. He also state that any Dhana or Dharma should be carried out with pure mind and with Bhakthi other wise any amount of the above would not be fruitful. To come out of the Pretha form after the death one must do VRISHABA UTHKARSHANAM, i.e giving as gift a male calf after doing necessary pooja. There is no other alternative to this to avoid pretha janma. The soul after death should attain the Bootha Rupa so as to receive the offering made by the kartha. Any amount of Dhana Dharmas would be of no use if one’s soul remain in pretha form. This Vrishaba Uthkarshanam can be done even before ones death by the concerned kartha. No Sraadhram is required at this stage. After the death this should be done on 11th day followed by Ekothishata Sraadhram..


A person can perform GO Dhana, Anna Dhana , Udhaka Dhana, etc. These good deeds done would take care of the concerned persons from hard ship after death. Before doing Sapindee karanam one must complete Shodasa Sraadhram. Sala Grama Dhanam, Vastra Dhanam, etc are also to be performed. Deepa Dhanam , Go Dhanam, Bronze Vessel filled with Ghee in a boat made of Sugar Cane and covered with Silk etc to be performed in order to facilitate the soul to cross the difficult river called VAITHARANEE. Bed, Iron Vessel, Gold, Salt, Nava Dhanyam, Thila Dhanam, etc are also to be given on the 11 th day.


It reported by God that the distance between Bhu Loka and Yama Puri is around 86 thousand katham. To reach this a soul takes around 1 year- by crossing the distance @ around 247 kadams by walking day and night. The pinda pradhanam done every day after death would cause the growth of the Pretha part by part. On the 10th day this pretha jeeva attains it full form.

While covering the distance as stated above, the jeeva has to undergo innumerable hardships like hunger, thirst, heat, cold,wilde animals etc. etc. There are many places this bootha jeeva has to cross.It travels to Yamiyam ( in 28 days) Avyamiyam (60 days) Chowri (90 days), Kruroora puram (150 days) Krouncham ( 180 days) Vaitharani river ( 100 Yojanas width) This is Yamas brother Vichithran’s place. ( oona masikam after 180 days before 210 days) Anna dhanam to be done at this period on behalf of the deceased person. Udhaka Kumba Dhanam also to be done to provide water to the departed soul. Pakkuapadam ( 240 days)Dhukkadham ( 270days) Nadhakkirandham (300days) Here the departed souls would be filtered whether Vrisha Uthkarshanam is done for the particular soul or not. Adabtham( 330 days) cheethabram ( cold place) (360 days) Vaivaswatha Pattinam ( oonam Abdhika Pindam) .Thus the bootha jeeva would be covering different places during the first year.

This Vaivaswatha pattanam is yama puri. Here, there would be 12 sravanars. One must do pooja for this 12 sravanars, so that they would address to Yama all your good deeds done. These 12 Sravanars would brief Chitragupta the accountant of Yama puri details about the soul arrived.

There are 28 different naraka lokas. At the completion of one year the departed soul would get the sareera by the pindas given by the kartha and would reach Yamapuri. After shedding the Pinda Sareera the soul would become very small i.e up to the size of a thump. After a while the soul would get the karma sareera and would be taken to the Yamapuri by kinkaras. The departed soul if good, would find everything good and pleasing at Yamapuri in contrast to the papa soul. Iron Walking Stick, Salt, Vastram, Vessel with Thilam in that etc should be given as Dhanam. With these Dhanam the Yama kinkaras would be pleased and would not trouble the departed soul while reaching the Yama Puri.


If a soul is not getting out of the Pretha form and attain Bootha form then that soul would cause difficulties to the concerned family people in many ways. After completing the Sapindee Karanam on 12th day as per one’s SOOTHRA daily sraadha is ordained up to the end of first one year. It stated in this purana that if one die without getting a son one would not get a place in any of the world. The place where one is doing Sraadha should be clean to avoid the presence of pretha, boothas, paichas, etc. These evil spirits try to block one doing the karma. The Ginglee seed/Tila is formed out of God’s sweat. Hence it is one of the pure dravya.For Dhana both white and black Til can be given. But for Sraadha only black one should be used.The DHARBA GRASS ( SOOSAI GRASS) was first formed in the Aakasa. In the Dharba from the edge respectively BHRAHMA,VISHNU AND SIVA are reported to be present. THE DHARBA GRASS, TULASI, BRAHMIN, MANTRAS, AGNI ETC. do not have nirmalya dhosha. Hence used Dharba grass can be again used. God says here that if one is about to die he should clean the ground and put dharba grass and spray Gingili Seeds over it and lie down over it. ( The same is called PRAYOPAVESAM.) And in this position with Tulasi leaf or beed in the hand if one chant God’s name he would definitely attain moksha from this Samsara Chakra. He can also do Dhana before his death. Salt Dhana is considered good as the same is reported to have formed in Vishnu Loka. Cotton Dhana / i.e. Vastram Dhana is also considered as good. Tila Dhana in a iron vessel, Cow(Go) Dhanam, Bhoomi Dhana, Gold Dhana, Dravya Dhana etc also to be given before death. If a Dhana is done at the dieing moment of a Jeeva it is considered as very good. Grahana time is also considered as auspicious to give dhana.

Salt Dhaana vanishes Yama Bhaya. By doing tila dhana in iron vessel Lord Yama would be pleased. By Vasthra Dhana Yama dhootas are pleased. Dhanya dhana would make the Yama dhootas to provide the required substances to the jeeva at appropriate time. GODHANA AND GOLD DHANA WOULD TAKE AWAY ALL THE PAPAS. At the dieing moment of one's jeeva if in that house vessel made of iron is given as dhana Yama Kinkaras would be afraid to approach that house. After death the jeeva spend three days in water and next three days in agni and the next three days in Aakasa. One day he would stay in his house in the form of Pretha. First day, 3rd day, 5th day, 7th day,9th day and in 11th day NAVASRAADHA to be performed. On the first day where the karmas are done on the same place all the 10 days karmas to be performed. On the 10th day the gothra sapinders do TILA TARPANA AND KUNDA TARPANA on behalf of the deceased jeeva. On the THITHI the jeeva has departed on the same thithi of the next month monthly masikam to be performed. Ekothishata sraadha with all dhanas on 11th day to one Brahmin is also considered auspicious. “SAYYA DHANAM” (BED) is also considered as one shreshta dhana.

In one’s death there are three who partake the pinda They are called PINDAPITHUR (3) THYACHAKAR (3), LEPAKAR (3), ONE WHO COME AT THE TIME OF PUTTING PINDA.(1) Like that there are 10 persons .After the Sapindee karanam the existing third pinda pithur become THYACHAKAR. If one person does his father’s karma properly with sraadha, piturs pleasingly give him one son in the place of 10 th person.

Last five stars from Avittam onwards are not auspicious. If death take place in those days that is called Dhanishta Panchami. The jeeva and its pretha which has died on one of the above five stars would not go away from the place so easily. Hence where ever possible such dead body to be removed only after the particular star period is over. Some special prayaschitha to be carried out for such death. It is reported that such jeeva would attain good place after death.

During the sraadha which is on behalf of pretha form of the departed the following should not be done.

Brahmins Ashirvadams, Seeking their blessings, double dharba pavithram, ucharana of pranavam/AUM, the food prepared should not be eaten by dog, balance food should not be taken, food should not sold, Swadha sabdha should not be used. Pithur Sabdham narrating simultaneously, Aavahanam,Namaskaram, valam varuthal , Pundra Dharanam , poornahuthi in agni, ekothishtam etc. If against the ordained norms if one does any of the above he would attain naraka without fail. For Durmarana there is no asowcham for any body. No kruthya is ordained for such death. Only Narayana Bali after six months to be done.

What should be done, what should not be done, How to do it, When to do it, etc are to decided by our Sastras only. Sastras are the pramanam to do any thing in this world. In the conversation with Nachikethas Yama states as under:- There is Eha Loka and para loka. One would come into my grip of death again and again.According to his Papa Punya one get rebirth as nara, thavara, or birds, etc. Lord advises people to do the following to lead a good peaceful life. Sraadha ceremony for departed souls, feeding Brahmins,donating alms to the deserved,Chanting Gayathri mantra, remain kind to all beings, keeps control over his senses, Believe that all beings have to perish oneday. By doing Kanyaka Dhaan, Vishotsarga, taking bath in punya theerthas and giving alms to the poor etc would also ensure peacefull living in this life and in the next life as well.

The Garuda Puranam can be read on Sankranthi day, Vishu Punya Kala, Sraadha Day. Those who hear, read, or those who are instrumental in arranging for such hearing all would get good place after death, thus say the Lord Vishnu. For More details please refer to the detailed text of Garuda Puranam.