Garuda Purana

सर्वविघ्नानि सन्त्यज्य मुक्त्युपायं करोति यः । तस्य कर्मफलं साधु प्रेतवृत्तिश्च शाश्वती ॥ २,२१.

Whoever, abandoning all obstacles, performs the means of liberation, for him the fruit of action is good, and the spirit's condition is made lasting.

स भवेत्तेन मुक्तस्तु दत्तं श्रेयस्करं परम् । स्वयं तृप्यति भोः पक्षिन्यस्योद्देशेन दीयते ॥ २,२१.

By that, he becomes liberated; the supreme, auspicious gift is given. He himself is satisfied, O bird, for whom the offering is made.

शृणु सत्यमिदं तार्क्ष्य यद्ददाति भुनक्ति सः । आत्मानं श्रेयसा युञ्ज्यात्प्रेतस्तृप्तिं चिरं व्रजेत् ॥ २,२१.

Hear this truth, O Tārkṣya: whatever one gives and enjoys, one should dedicate oneself to auspiciousness, and the spirit attains satisfaction for a long time.

ते तृप्ताः शुभमिच्छन्ति निजबन्धुषु सर्वदा । अज्ञातयस्तु ये दुष्टाः पीडयन्ति स्ववंशजान् ॥ २,२१.

Those who are satisfied always wish well for their own relatives; but those unknown and wicked spirits afflict their own descendants.

निवारयन्ति तृप्तास्ते जायमानानुकम्पकाः । पश्चात्ते मुक्तिमायन्ति काले प्राप्ते स्वपुत्रतः । सदा बन्धुषु यच्छन्ति वृद्धिमृद्धिं खगाधिप ॥ २,२१.

Those who are satisfied restrain and show compassion to those being born; later, at the proper time, they attain liberation through their own sons. They always bestow growth and prosperity upon their relatives, O lord of birds.

दर्शनाद्भाषणाद्यस्तु चेष्टातः पीडनाद्गतिम् । न प्रापयति मूढात्मा प्रेतशापैः स लिप्यते ॥ २,२१.

But the deluded one who, by sight, speech, action, or affliction, does not bring about their progress, is bound by the curses of spirits.

अपुत्रकोऽपशुश्चैव दरिद्रो व्याधितस्तथा । वृत्तिहीनश्च हीनश्च भवेज्जन्मनिजन्मनि ॥ २,२१.

He becomes without sons, without cattle, poor, diseased, lacking livelihood, and deficient, birth after birth.

एवं ब्रुवन्ति ते प्रेताः पुनर्याभ्यं समाश्रिताः । तत्रस्थानां भवेन्मुक्तिः स्वकाले कर्मसंक्षये ॥ २,२१.

Thus, those departed souls who speak in this way and again take refuge with you, will attain liberation from that place at the proper time, when their karmic bonds are exhausted.

गरुड उवाच । नाम गोत्रं न दृश्येत प्रतीतिर्नैव जायते । केचिद्वदन्ति दैवज्ञाः पीडां प्रेतसमुद्भवाम् ॥ २,२१.

Garuḍa said: The name and lineage are not seen, nor does certainty arise; some astrologers say that the affliction is caused by spirits of the dead.

न स्वप्नश्चैष्टितं नैव दर्शनं न कदाचन । किं कर्तव्यं सुरश्रेष्ठ तत्र मे ब्रूहि निश्चितम् ॥ २,२१.

There is no dream, no movement, nor any vision at any time; O best of gods, what should be done in that case? Tell me with certainty.

श्रीभगवानुवाच । सत्यं वाप्यनृतं वापि वदन्ति क्षितिदेवताः । तदा सञ्चिन्त्य हृदये सत्यमेतद्द्विजेरितम् ॥ २,२१.

The Blessed Lord said: Whether true or false, the earthly deities speak; considering this in your heart, know that what the twice-born declare is true.

भावभक्तिं पुरस्कृत्य पितृभक्तिपरायणः । कृत्वा कृष्णबलिं चैव पुरश्चरण पूर्वकम् ॥ २,२१.

With devotion and faith, being dedicated to honoring the ancestors, one should perform the offering to Kṛṣṇa, preceded by the proper rites.

जपहोमैस्तथा दानैः प्रकुर्याद्देहसोधनम् । कृतेन तेन विघ्नानि विनश्यन्ति खगेश्वर ॥ २,२१.

By recitation, fire offerings, and gifts, one should purify the body; by this, all obstacles are destroyed, O lord of birds.

भूतप्रेतपिशाचैर्वा स चेदन्यैः प्रपीड्यते । पित्रुद्देशेन वै कुर्यान्नारायणबलिं तदा । विमुक्तः सर्वपीडाभ्य इति सत्यं वचो मम ॥ २,२१.

If one is afflicted by ghosts, spirits, or fiends, or by others, then, for the sake of the ancestors, one should perform the offering to Nārāyaṇa; thus freed from all afflictions—this is my true word.

पितृपीडा भवेद्यत्र कृत्यैरन्यैर्न मुच्यते । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन पितृभक्तिपरो भवेत् ॥ २,२१.

Where there is affliction from the ancestors that is not removed by other means, therefore, with all effort, one should be devoted to honoring the ancestors.

नवमे दशमे वर्षे पिक्षुद्देशेन वै पुमान् । गायत्त्रीमयुतं जप्त्वा दशांशेन च होमयेत् ॥ २,२१.

In the ninth or tenth year, for the sake of the ancestors, a man should recite the Gāyatrī ten thousand times and offer oblations with a tenth part.

कृत्वा कृष्णबलिं पूर्वं वृषोत्सर्गादिकाः क्रियाः । सर्वोपद्रवहीनस्तु सर्वसौख्यमवाप्नुयात् । उत्तमं लोकमाप्नोति ज्ञातिप्राधान्यमेव च ॥ २,२१.

Having first performed the offering to Kṛṣṇa and the rites beginning with the release of the bull, one becomes free from all troubles, attains all happiness, reaches the highest world, and gains preeminence among relatives.

पितृमा तृसमं लोके नास्त्यन्यद्दैवतं परम् । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन पूजयेत्पितरौ सदा ॥ २,२१.

In this world, there is no deity greater than the ancestors; therefore, with all effort, one should always worship one's parents.

हितानामुपदेष्टा हि प्रत्यक्षं दैवतं पिता । अन्या या देवता लोके न देहप्रभवो हि ताः ॥ २,२१.

The father is the direct deity and the giver of good counsel; other deities in the world are not the source of the body.

शरीरमेव जन्तूनां स्वर्गमोक्षैकसाधनम् । देहो दत्तो हि येनैवं कोऽन्यः पूज्यतमस्ततः ॥ २,२१.

For living beings, the body alone is the sole means to heaven and liberation; since the body is given by them, who else is more worthy of worship than they?

इति सञ्चिन्त्यहृदये पक्षिन्यद्यत्प्रयच्छति । तत्सर्वमात्मना भुङ्क्ते दानं वेदविदो विदुः ॥ २,२१.

Thus, whatever is given with a pure heart, O bird, is enjoyed entirely by oneself; those learned in the Vedas know this as true giving.

पुन्नामनरकाद्यस्मात्पितरं त्रायते सुतः । तस्मात्पुत्त्र इति प्रोक्त इह चापि परत्र च ॥ २,२१.

Because a son saves his father from the hell called Put, therefore he is called 'putra' both here and hereafter.

अपमृत्युमृतौ स्यातां पितरौ कस्यचित्खग । व्रततीर्थाविवाहादिश्राद्धं संवत्सरं त्यजेत् ॥ २,२१.

If, O bird, either parent dies an untimely death, one should abstain for a year from vows, pilgrimages, marriages, and ancestral rites.

स्वप्नाध्यायमिमं यस्तु प्रेत लिङ्गनिदर्शकम् । यः पठेच्छृणुयाद्वापि प्रेतचिह्नं न पश्यति ॥ २,२१.

Whoever recites or hears this chapter on dreams, which reveals the signs of spirits, does not see any sign of spirits.

श्रीगरुडमहापुराणम् २२ गरुड उवाच । सम्भवन्ति कथं प्रेताः केन तेषां गतिर्भवेत् । कीदृक्तेषां भवेद्रूपं भोजनं किं भवेत्प्रभो ॥ २,२२.

Garuḍa said: How do spirits come into being, what is their fate, what is their form, and what do they eat, O Lord?

सुप्रीतास्ते कथं प्रेताः क्व तिष्ठन्ति सुरेश्वर । प्रसन्नः कृपया देव प्रश्रमेनं वदस्व मे ॥ २,२२.

O Lord of the gods, how do those departed ones become satisfied, and where do they dwell? Gracious and compassionate God, please tell me this with care.

श्रीभगवानुवाच । पापकर्मरता ये वै पूर्वकर्मवशानुगाः । जायन्ते ते मृताः प्रेतास्ताञ्छृणुष्व वदाम्यहम् ॥ २,२२.

The Blessed Lord said: Those who delight in sinful deeds, compelled by the force of their past actions, are born as pretas after death. Listen, I will tell you about them.

वापीकूपतडागांश्च आरामं सुरमन्दिरम् । प्रपां सद्म सुवृक्षांश्च तथा भोजनशालिकाः ॥ २,२२.

Wells, ponds, tanks, gardens, temples of the gods, rest-houses, houses, beautiful trees, and also fields of food—

पितृपैतामहं धर्मं किक्रीणाति स पापभाक् । मृतः प्रेतत्वमाप्नोति यावदाभूतसंप्लवम् ॥ २,२२.

He who, being sinful, sells the ancestral or paternal dharma, after death attains the state of a preta until the dissolution of creation.