Garuda Purana

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.'

उत्तराणि महायोगिंस्त्वद्दर्शनगतांहसः । अहं पर्युषितो नाम्ना एष सूचीमुखः स्मृतः ॥ २,७.

'O great yogin, by your sight our sins have been removed. I am called Paryushita by name; this one is known as Suchimukha.'

तृतीयः शीघ्रगस्तुर्यो रोधको लेखकः परः । ब्राह्मण उवाच । प्रेतानां कर्मजातानां कुतो नाम निरर्थकम् ॥ २,७.

'The third is Shighraga, the fourth is Rodhaka, and the fifth is Lekhaka.' The brahmin said: 'How can the names of pretas, born of karma, be meaningless?'

निरुक्तिमेषां नाम्नां वै प्रेता वदत मा चिरम् । श्रीकृष्ण उवाच । एवमुक्तास्तु विप्रेण पृथगुत्तरमब्रुवन् ॥ २,७.

'Explain the meaning of these names without delay.' Shri Krishna said: Thus addressed by the brahmin, they each gave their answer separately.

पर्युषित उवाच । कदाचिच्छ्राद्धकाले वै मया विप्रो निमन्त्रितः ॥ २,७.

Paryushita said: 'Once, at the time of a śrāddha, I invited a brahmin...'

स च कृत्वा विलम्बेन वृद्धो मद्गृहमागतः । अकृतश्राद्धकर्माहं तं पाकं भुक्तवान् क्षुधा ॥ २,७.

He, having delayed, came to my house as an old man; I, not having performed the śrāddha rites, ate that food out of hunger.

अददामन्नमाकृष्य विप्रे पर्युषितं कियत् । तस्मात्पापान्मृतः पापो योनिं वै कुत्सितां गतः ॥ २,७.

I gave to the Brahmin some leftover food, drawing it forth; because of that sin, I died a sinner and attained a degraded birth.

यतः पर्युषितं दत्तं ततः पर्युषितः स्मृतः । सूचीमुख उवाच । कदाचिद्ब्राह्मणी काचित्तीर्थं भद्रवटं ययौ ॥ २,७.

Because what is given is stale, it is called 'stale'; Sūcīmukha said: Once, a certain Brahmin woman went to the holy place Bhadravaṭa.

पञ्चवर्षसुता वृद्धा पुत्रमात्रैकजीविता । अहं क्षत्त्रियदायादस्तस्या रोधमकारिषम् ॥ २,७.

She was old, with a five-year-old son, and her life depended solely on him; I, a kṣatriya by lineage, caused her to weep.

वने तु विजने तत्र पापाध्वगगतिं गतः । तस्याः सवस्त्रं पाथेयं तत्सूनोर्वसनानि च ॥ २,७.

In that lonely forest, I, following a sinful path, took her clothing, provisions, and her son's garments as well.

गृहीतानि मया विप्र शिरस्यापीड्य मुष्टिना । तृषार्तस्तत्क्षणं बालः पात्रसंस्थं जलं पिबन् ॥ २,७.

I seized them, O Brahmin, striking her on the head with my fist; at that moment, her thirsty child was drinking water from a vessel.