Garuda Purana

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.

ते नखैस्तलघातैश्च पादघातैस्तथैव च । दंष्ट्राघातैश्च सर्वे तमेकं प्रेतं व्यदारयन् ॥ २,७.

With their nails, slaps, kicks, and also with bites from their fangs, all of them tore apart that one preta.

तेषां प्रहारान्विफलान्कृत्वा संप्रति तानथ । जीवं न तु शवं तेषां जह्रे प्राणमिवान्तकः ॥ २,७.

Though their blows were ineffective, he then, like Death himself, seized the life of one among them, but not the corpse.

हृतमात्रे शवे ते तु पारियात्रे गिरौ द्विजम् । मुक्त्वाधावन् प्रमुदिता एकं प्रेतं सुदारुणाः ॥ २,७.

As soon as the corpse was taken, those dreadful pretas, rejoicing, left the twice-born one on Mount Pariyatra and rushed away after the one preta.

स वायुगमनः प्रेतः प्राप्तस्तैः क्षणमात्रतः । अदृश्यतां ययौ तेऽथ हताशा विप्रमागमन् ॥ २,७.

That preta, moving as swiftly as the wind, was caught by them in a moment; then he vanished from sight, and they, despairing, returned to the brahmin.

प्रारब्धमात्रे विप्रस्य पाटने तत्र पर्वते । मम स्थानस्य विप्रस्य महिम्नेव च तत्क्षणे ॥ २,७.

Just as the brahmin began to recite on that mountain, at that very moment, by the power of my place and the brahmin’s greatness—

सद्यः स्मृतिः समुत्पन्ना तेषां पूर्वस्य जन्मनः । विप्रं प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य द्विजर्षभमथाब्रुवन् ॥ २,७.

Suddenly, memory of their previous birth arose in them; after circumambulating the brahmin, they spoke to the best of the twice-born.

अद्य नः क्षन्तुमर्होऽसीत्युक्त्वा ते सुरदाम्भिकाः । गिरेरिव परावर्तं समुद्रस्येव शोषणम् ॥ २,७.

They said, 'Today you must forgive us,' and, like the turning back of a mountain or the drying up of the ocean—

तेषां तद्वचनं श्रुत्वापृच्छत्के यूयमित्यथ । किं माया किमु वा स्वप्न उताहो चित्तविभ्रमः ॥ २,७.

Hearing their words, he asked, 'Who are you? Is this a magic illusion, a dream, or a disturbance of the mind?'

प्रेता ऊचुः । अवेहि तत्त्वमेवैतत्प्रेता वै कर्मजा वयम् । ब्राह्मण उवाच । किंनामानः किमाचाराः कथञ्चेमां दशां गताः ॥ २,७.

The pretas said: 'Know this truly: we are pretas, born of karma.' The brahmin said: 'What are your names, what were your actions, and how did you come to this state?'

अविनीताः कथं पूर्वं विनीताः साम्प्रतं कथम् । प्रेता ऊचुः । शृणु विप्रेन्द्र वक्ष्यामः प्रश्नानामनुपूर्वशः ॥ २,७.

'How were you previously undisciplined, and how are you now disciplined?' The pretas said: 'Listen, O foremost of brahmins, we will answer your questions in order.'