Garuda Purana

धर्मः स्वल्पोऽपि नृपते यदि सम्यगुपासितः । द्विजदेवप्रसादेन स याति बहुविस्तरम् ॥ २,६.

O King, even a little righteousness, if properly observed, expands greatly through the grace of brāhmaṇas and gods.

इत्युक्त्वा यमुनाभ्राता क्षणादन्तर्धिमाययौ । वीरबाहुर्दिवं गत्वा देवैः सह मुमोद ह ॥ २,६.

Having spoken thus, the brother of Yamunā vanished in an instant; Vīrabāhu, having gone to heaven, rejoiced there with the gods.

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच । मया ते कथितं पक्षिन् वृषयज्ञः सुविस्तरः । प्राणिनां कर्मनिर्हारं श्रुत्वा पापैः प्रमुच्यते ॥ २,६.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: O Bird, I have described to you in detail the bull-sacrifice; hearing of the destruction of actions for living beings, one is freed from sins.

श्रीगरुडमहापुराणम् ७ गरुड उवाच । श्रुतं मे महादाख्यानं वृषोत्सर्गफलं हरे । पुनरन्यां कथां ब्रूहि यत्र ते महिमाद्भुतः ॥ २,७.

Garuḍa said: O Hari, I have heard the great account of the fruit of releasing a bull; tell me again another story where your wondrous greatness is manifest.

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच । अहं ते कथयाम्यद्य संवादं परमाद्भुतम् । सन्तप्तकस्य च प्रेतैस्तद्रूपज्ञापनाय वै ॥ २,७.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: I shall now tell you a most marvelous dialogue, and also about the forms of the departed shown to Santaptaka.

विप्रः सन्तप्तकः कश्चित्तपसादग्धकिल्बिषः । संसारासारतां ज्ञात्वारण्यष्वेव चचार ह ॥ २,७.

There was a brāhmaṇa named Santaptaka, whose sins were burned away by austerity; realizing the futility of worldly existence, he wandered in the forests.

वैखानसमुनिव्रातैः प्राणिपातकृतेक्षणः । स कदाचित्तीर्थयात्रामुद्दिश्य स्माटतिद्विजः ॥ २,७.

Observing the vows of the Vaikhānasa sages, and intent on the welfare of living beings, that excellent brāhmaṇa once set out on a pilgrimage.

प्रत्याकृष्टेन्द्रियत्वाच्च बहिर्वृत्तिनिरोधकः । संस्कारमात्रगमनो मार्गभ्रष्टो बभूव ह ॥ २,७.

Restraining his senses and curbing external activities, he went only for the sake of the prescribed rites, but lost his way.

चलन्नेवं स्नानकाले मध्याह्नेऽथाभिलाषुकः । जलस्योन्मील्य नयने दिशः सर्वा न्यभीलयत् ॥ २,७.

While moving about at the time of bathing, at midday, filled with desire, he opened his eyes in the water and gazed in all directions.

स ददर्श तदा गुल्मैर्वोरुद्वृक्षशतैश्चितम् । त्वक्सारैः शाखिशाखाभिः संकुलं गहनंवनम् ॥ २,७.

Then he saw a dense forest, crowded with thickets and hundreds of great trees, tangled with branches and twigs exuding sap.

तत्र तालास्तमालाश्च प्रियालाः पनसास्तथा । श्रीपर्णो शालशाखोटस्यन्दनास्तिन्दुकास्तथा ॥ २,७.

There were palmyra and tamāla trees, priyāla and jackfruit as well, śrīparṇa, śāla, khadira, syandana, and tinduka trees.

सर्जार्जुनाम्रातकाश्च श्लेष्मा तकभिभीतकौ । पिचुमर्दश्चिञ्चिणी च कर्कन्धूकर्णिकारकाः ॥ २,७.

There were also sarja, arjuna, amrātaka, śleṣmātaka, bhītaka, picumarda, ciñciṇī, karkandhu, and karṇikāra trees.

एते चान्ये च बहवो वृक्षास्तेषु न दृश्यते । पक्षिणामपि वै पन्था मनुष्यस्य कुतः पुनः ॥ २,७.

And many other trees besides these; in that place, not even a path for birds could be seen, much less for humans.

तस्मिन् वने महाघोरे सिंहव्याघ्रसमाकुले । तरक्षुगवयैरृक्षैर्महिषैश्च निषेविते ॥ २,७.

In that terrible forest, filled with lions and tigers, and frequented by hyenas, wild oxen, bears, and buffaloes—

कुञ्ज रैरुरुभिर्नागैर्मर्कटैश्च तथामृगैः । श्वापदैश्च तथा चान्यैः पिशाचै राक्षसैर्वृते ॥ २,७.

With great elephants, monkeys, deer, other wild beasts, and also haunted by piśācas and rākṣasas—

सन्तप्तको द्विजः किञ्चिद्भयसन्त्रस्तमानसः । कान्दिशीकः समभवढ्यद्भविष्यो ययौ पुनः ॥ २,७.

Santaptaka, the brāhmaṇa, his mind somewhat agitated by fear, became confused about the directions and wandered further.

झङ्कारेषु च झिल्लीनां घूकानां घूत्कृतेष्वपि । दत्तकर्णः कुनीलाङ्गश्चचाल पदपञ्चकम् ॥ २,७.

Amid the chirping of crickets and the howling of owls, he listened intently, his body trembling, and moved a few steps.

स तत्र वटवृक्षाग्रे स्नायुबद्धं शवं तथा । ददर्श तद्भुजश्चैव पञ्च प्रेतान् सुदारुणान् ॥ २,७.

There, at the top of a banyan tree, he saw a corpse bound with sinews, and five dreadful pretas holding its arms.

शिरास्थिचर्मशेषाङ्गान् पृष्ठलग्नोदरान् खग । त्यक्तान्नासिकया नेत्रकूपपातभयादिव ॥ २,७.

Their bodies consisted only of veins, bones, and skin, with backs stuck to their bellies, as if abandoned by their noses, and with eyes sunken in their sockets out of fear.

सूचीक्रककचकव्रातघातपातितकीकसान् । वसाक्तनवमस्तिष्कस्वादनित्यमहोत्सवान् ॥ २,७.

They delighted constantly in the gruesome feast of licking fresh marrow and brains, having fallen there from the blows of needles, hooks, and saws.

रणत्कोटिमहादंष्ट्रानस्थिग्रन्थ्यवघट्टितान् । तान्दृष्ट्वा त्रस्तहृदयो गतिमाकुञ्च्य संस्थितः ॥ २,७.

With great fangs clashing like bells and bodies knotted with bones, seeing them, his heart was seized with terror and he stood still, drawing back his movement.

ते विलोक्यागतं विप्रमटवीं जनवर्जिताम् । अहं पूर्वमहं पूर्वं यामीत्याक्त्वा प्रदुद्रुवुः ॥ २,७.

When those pretas saw the brahmin arrive in the deserted forest, they cried, 'I go first! I go first!' and rushed away.

तेषु द्वौद्वावगृह्णीतामस्य हस्तावथापरे । द्वौद्वौ पादावगृह्णीतां मूर्धानं पञ्चमोऽग्रहीत् ॥ २,७.

Of them, two seized his hands, two seized his feet, and the fifth grasped his head.

स्वजात्युचितवाक्येन स्फुटवर्णवताब्रुवन् । अहं जक्षाम्यहं भक्षामीति कर्षणतत्पराः ॥ २,७.

With words clear and distinct, each according to their own kind, they said, 'I will eat! I will devour!' and began to pull.

सहसैव सहैवामुं गृहीत्वा व्यगमन्वियत् । कियत्स्थितं वटौ मांसं क्रियन्नेति न्यभालयन् ॥ २,७.

Seizing him all together at once, they flew into the sky, glancing back to see if any flesh remained on the banyan tree.

तेऽपश्यन्निजदंष्ट्रायः पाटितान्त्रमिमं शवम् । अवतीर्य ततो व्योम्नो गृहीत्वा चरणैः शवम् ॥ २,७.

They saw their own fangs had torn the entrails of this corpse; then, descending from the sky, they seized the corpse with their feet.

स्वखण्डितशरीरन्तु पुनर्व्योमैव चक्रमुः । स नीयमानमात्मानं विलोक्य वियति द्विजः ॥ २,७.

With their own bodies torn apart, they again soared into the sky; seeing himself being carried away, the twice-born was bewildered.

जगाम मनसा मां स शरणं भयविह्वलः । नमश्चक्रे चक्रधरं चेतसा चिन्मयं समम् ॥ २,७.

Overwhelmed by fear, he sought refuge in me with his mind; he bowed in thought to the wielder of the discus, the embodiment of consciousness.

वक्रं नक्रं चक्रपातेन दूरे कृत्वा हृत्वा तस्य दुःखं मुकुन्दः । मातङ्गं योऽमूमुचन्नक्रवक्त्रात्पाशं सोऽसौ कर्मणां मे लुनातु ॥ २,७.

Mukunda, who by the fall of his discus drove away the crooked crocodile and removed its pain, who freed the elephant from the crocodile's jaws—may he cut the bonds of my actions.