Garuda Purana

वैश्यजातिः सुदेवोऽहं नाम्ना विदितमस्तु ते । हव्येन तर्पिता देवाः कव्येन पितरो मया ॥ २,९.

Know me by name as Sudeva, of the Vaiśya caste; I have satisfied the gods with offerings and the ancestors with oblations.

विविधैर्दानयोगैश्च विप्राः सन्तर्पिता मया । आहारश्च विहारश्च मया वै सुनिवेशितः ॥ २,९.

By various acts of charity I have gratified the Brahmins; I have arranged my food and recreation properly.

दीनानाथविशिष्टेभ्यो मया दत्तमनेकधा । तत्सर्वं निष्फलं जातं मम दैवादुपागतम् ॥ २,९.

To the poor, the destitute, and the distinguished, I have given many gifts; yet all that has become fruitless for me, due to fate.

न मेऽस्ति सन्ततिस्तात न सुहृन्न च बान्धवाः । न च मित्रं हितस्तादृग्यः कुर्यादौर्ध्वदैहिकम् ॥ २,९.

I have no lineage, no friends, nor relatives; nor is there any true companion who would perform the funeral rites for me.

प्रेतत्वं सुस्थिरं तेन मम जातं नृपोत्तम । एकादशं त्रिपक्षञ्च षाण्मासिकमथाब्दिकम् ॥ २,९.

Therefore, O best of kings, my state as a spirit has become fixed; the eleventh-day, fortnightly, half-yearly, and yearly rites—

प्रतिमास्यानि चान्या नि ह्येवं श्राद्धानि षोडश । यस्यैतानि न दीयन्ते प्रेतश्राद्धानि भूपते ॥ २,९.

—and other monthly rites, thus sixteen śrāddhas in all; O king, for whom these funeral offerings are not performed—

प्रेतत्वं सुस्थिरं तस्यः दत्तैः श्राद्धशतैरपि । एवं ज्ञात्वा महाराज प्रेतत्वादुद्धरस्व माम् ॥ २,९.

—his state as a spirit remains fixed, even with hundreds of śrāddhas given; knowing this, O great king, deliver me from this ghostly state.

वर्णानाञ्चैव सर्वेषां राजा बन्धुरिहोच्यते । तन्मां तारय राजेन्द्र मणिरत्नं ददामि ते ॥ २,९.

Of all the social classes, the king is called the kinsman here; therefore, O king of kings, rescue me—I will give you a jewel as a gift.

यथा मम शुभावाप्तिर्भवेन्नृपवरोत्तम । तथा कार्यं महीपाल दयां कृत्वा मयि प्रभो ॥ २,९.

O best of kings, act so that I may attain auspiciousness; O lord of the earth, show compassion to me.

सपिण्डैर्वा सगोत्रैर्वा निष्टुरैर्न कृतो हिमे । वृषोत्सर्गस्ततो दुष्टं प्रेतत्वं प्राप्तवानहम् ॥ २,९.

Neither by those of my lineage nor by my relatives was the bull-offering performed for me; therefore, I have attained this evil state as a spirit.

क्षुत्तृषाविष्टदेहश्च भक्ष्यं पानं न चाप्नुयाम् । अतो विकृतिरेषा वै कृशात्वादिरमांसका ॥ २,९.

Afflicted by hunger and thirst, I cannot obtain food or drink; thus, this distortion has arisen—emaciation and lack of flesh.

क्षुत्तृड्जन्यं महादुः खमनुभवामि पुनः पुनः । अकल्याणं हि प्रेतत्वं वृषोत्सर्गं विना कृतम् ॥ २,९.

I repeatedly experience great suffering caused by hunger and thirst; indeed, the state of a spirit is inauspicious when the bull-offering is omitted.

तस्माद्राजन्दयासिन्धो प्रार्थयामि तवाग्रतः । राजोवाच । वर्तते मत्कुले प्रेत इति ज्ञेयं कथं नरैः ॥ २,९.

Therefore, O king, ocean of compassion, I beg before you— The king said: How can people know that a spirit exists in my family?

तन्ममाचक्ष्व हि प्रेत प्रेतत्वान्मुच्यते कथम् । प्रेत उवाच । लिङ्गेन पीडया प्रेतोऽनुमातव्यो नरैः सदा ॥ २,९.

So tell me, O spirit, how one is released from the state of a spirit. The spirit said: A spirit is always to be inferred by people through signs of affliction.

वक्ष्यामि पीडास्ता राजन्या वै प्रेतकृता भुवि । ऋतुः स्यादफलः स्त्रीणां यदा वंशो न वर्धते ॥ २,९.

I will tell you, O king, the afflictions caused by a spirit on earth: when women’s cycles are fruitless, when the lineage does not increase—

म्रियन्ते चाल्पवयसः सा पीडा प्रेतसम्भवा । अकस्माद्वृत्तिहरणमप्रतिष्ठा जनेषु वै ॥ २,९.

—when the young die, that is an affliction arising from a spirit; sudden loss of livelihood, and instability among people—

अकस्माद्गृहदाहः स्यात्सा पीडा प्रेतसम्भवा । स्वगेहे कलहो नित्यं स्याच्च मिथ्याभिशंसनम् ॥ २,९.

—when there is a sudden house fire, that is an affliction arising from a spirit; constant quarrels in one’s own house, and false accusations.

राजयक्ष्मादिसम्भूतिः सा पीडा प्रेतसम्भवा । अपि स्वयं धनं मुक्तं प्रयत्नादनवे पथि ॥ २,९.

The affliction arising from royal consumption and similar diseases, that suffering is born from a preta; even if wealth is released by effort, it does not reach its proper path.

नैव लभ्येत नश्येतः सा पीडा प्रेतसंमवा । सुवृष्टौ कृषिनाशः स्याद्वाणिज्याद्वृत्तिनाशनम् ॥ २,९.

That suffering, originating from a preta, cannot be obtained nor does it disappear; in times of good rain, there may be destruction of crops, or loss of livelihood for merchants.

कलत्रं प्रतिकूलं स्यात्सा पीडा प्रेतसम्भवा । एवन्तु पीडया राजन्प्रेतज्ञानं भवेन्नृणाम् ॥ २,९.

A wife may become hostile; that suffering too arises from a preta. In this way, O King, by such afflictions, people come to know of a preta's presence.

वृषोत्सर्गो यदि भवेत्प्रेतत्वान्मुच्यते तदा । तस्मान्नृप त्वमप्येवं वृषोत्सर्गं कुरु प्रभो ॥ २,९.

If the release of a bull is performed, then one is freed from the state of a preta; therefore, O King, you too should perform the release of a bull in this manner, O Lord.

मामुद्दिश्य नृपेऽप्यत्राधिकारोऽत्यनुकम्पया । राजपुत्रो हतः कश्चिन्मयैवाप्तस्ततो मया ॥ २,९.

Even for a king, there is authority here, out of great compassion, to perform it for me; some prince who was slain has been obtained by me, thus I have come.

कुरुष्व त्वं गृहीत्वा मे तद्धनेन वृषोत्सवम् । कार्तिक्यां पौर्णमास्यां वाऽश्वयुङ्मध्येऽथवा नृप ॥ २,९.

You should take my wealth and perform the festival of releasing a bull, either on the full moon of Kārtika, or in the middle of the month of Āśvayuja, O King.

रेवतीयुक्तदिवसे कृषीष्ठा मे वृषोत्सवम् । पुण्यान्विप्रान्समाहूय वह्निं स्थाप्य विधानतः ॥ २,९.

On a day joined with the Revati constellation, perform the festival of releasing a bull for me; summon virtuous Brahmins, and duly establish the fire.

मन्त्रैर्होमस्तथा कार्यः षड्भिर्नृप विधानतः । बहून्विप्रान् भोजयेथास्तद्रत्नाप्तधनेन वै । एवं कृते महीपाल मम मुक्तिर्भविष्यति ॥ २,९.

With six mantras, the oblation should be performed according to the rite, O King; you should feed many Brahmins with the wealth obtained from that jewel. When this is done, O ruler of the earth, my liberation will be attained.

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच । तथेति प्रतिजग्राह मणिं राजा ततः खग ॥ २,९.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: 'So be it,' and the king then accepted the jewel, O bird.

क्रियाधिकारस्तस्यैव यो धनग्राहको भवेत् । कुर्वतोस्तु तयोर्वार्तामेवं प्रेतमहीक्षितोः ॥ २,९.

The right to perform the rite belongs to the one who receives the wealth; thus was the matter between the preta and the king of the earth.

झणत्कारस्तु घण्टानां भेरीणां भाङ्कृतिस्तथा । जातस्तदा राजसेना चतुरङ्गा समापतत् ॥ २,९.

Then there arose the sound of bells, the beating of drums, and the blaring of conches; at that moment, the royal army with its four divisions assembled.

तस्यामागतमात्रायां प्रेतश्चादृश्यतां गतः । तस्माद्वनाद्विनिःसृत्य राजापि पुरमागमत् ॥ २,९.

As soon as it arrived, the preta became invisible; emerging from that forest, the king too returned to the city.