Garuda Purana

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.

रुद्धाञ्शुद्धान् भूपतीन्मागधेन भीमेनैनं घातयित्वा मुरारिः । निर्बद्धान्यो भर्गयज्ञाय मुक्तश्चक्रो मेऽसौ कर्मपाशं लुनातु ॥ २,७.

Murari, having slain the Magadhan Bhima who had bound and purified kings, and having released the sacrificial horse for Bharga's sacrifice—may that discus sever the bonds of my karma.

मनसैवैह मामस्तौत्स्तूयमानोऽहमुत्थितः । अगच्छं सहसा तत्र यत्र प्रेतैः स नीयते ॥ २,७.

As he praised me in his mind, I, being praised, arose and swiftly went there, where he was being carried away by the pretas.

दृष्ट्वा तैर्नीयमानन्तु कौतुकं मेऽभवत्खग । पप्रच्छ न कियन्तं वै कालं तान्पृष्ठतोऽन्वगाम् ॥ २,७.

Seeing him being carried away by them, I became curious, O bird, and asked them how long they would carry him, following behind them.

मम सन्निधिमात्रेण द्विजातिं तञ्च सर्पहन् । तत्कालं शिविकासुप्तभूपालसुखमाविशत् ॥ २,७.

By my mere presence, O serpent-slayer, that twice-born at that moment entered the comfort of a king sleeping in a palanquin.

मणिभद्रस्ततो मेरुं गच्छन्दृष्टो मया पथि । निकोच्याक्षि स्वपार्श्वं स नीतो वै यक्षराण्मया ॥ २,७.

Then, as I traveled the path, I saw Maṇibhadra going to Meru; having called him, I brought him to my side, and the lord of yakṣas was led by me.

तमवोचं महायक्षं त्वं हि प्रतिभटो भव । प्रेतान्नाशय तद्भूयः शवञ्च हर तद्गतम् ॥ २,७.

I said to that great yakṣa, 'You must act as a guard; drive away the pretas and remove the corpse that has gone there.'

इत्युक्तः स महाघोरं कृत्वा रोषं सुदुःसहम् । जग्राह प्रेतरूपं तत्प्रेतानामपि दुःखदम् ॥ २,७.

Thus addressed, he became filled with a terrible and unbearable fury, and assumed a form as a preta, one that brings suffering even to other pretas.

स विवृत्य स्वकौ बाहू सृक्किणी परिलेलिहन् । भेदयन्नुरुवातेन प्रेतांस्तान्संमुखो ययौ ॥ २,७.

He spread his two arms wide, licking his lips, and with a mighty wind, breaking through, he advanced directly toward those pretas.

बाहुभ्यां द्वौ द्वौ च पद्भ्यां मूर्ध्नैकं च समाहरत् । प्रेतानथापि सहसा जघान दृढमुष्टिना ॥ २,७.

With his arms he seized two at a time, with his feet two more, and with his head one; then, suddenly, he struck the pretas with his clenched fist.

ते विवर्णमुखाः सर्वे तं द्विजञ्च शवं तथा । एकैकं हस्तपादैश्च गृहीत्वा युद्धमारभन् ॥ २,७.

All of them, their faces drained of color, together with the corpse and the twice-born one, each seized him with their hands and feet and began to fight.