Garuda Purana

प्रातः प्रातः प्रपश्यन्ति नर्मदां मत्स्यघातिनः । न ते शिवपुरीं यान्ति चित्तवृत्तिर्गरीयसी ॥ २,३८.

Those who see the Narmadā river early morning, again and again, yet kill fish, do not reach the city of Śiva; the movement of their mind is weighty.

यादृक्चित्तप्रतीतिः स्यात्तादृक्कर्मफलं नृणाम् । परलोकगतिस्तादृक सूचीसूत्रविचारवत् ॥ २,३८.

As is the conviction of the mind, so is the fruit of action for people; the journey to the next world is likewise, just as with the thread passing through a needle.

ब्राह्मणार्थे गवार्थे च स्त्रीणां बलवधेषु च । प्राणत्यागपरो यस्तु स वै मोक्षमवाप्नुयात् ॥ २,३८.

He who gives up his life for the sake of a Brāhmaṇa, a cow, or in the defense of women, attains liberation.

अनाशके मृतौ यस्तु स वै मोक्षमवाप्नुयात् । अनाशके मृतो यस्तु स मुक्तः सर्वबन्धनैः ॥ २,३८.

He who dies without hope attains liberation; he who dies without hope is freed from all bonds.

दत्त्वा दानानि विप्रेभ्यस्ततो मोक्षमवाप्नुयात् । एते वै मोक्षमार्गाश्च स्वर्गमार्गास्तथैव च ॥ २,३८.

Having given gifts to Brāhmaṇas, one then attains liberation; these are indeed the paths to liberation, and likewise the paths to heaven.

गोग्रहे देशविध्वंसे मरणं रणतीर्थयोः । उत्तमाधममध्यस्य बाध्यमानस्य देहिनः । आत्मानं तत्र सन्त्यज्य स्वर्गवासं लभेच्चिरम् ॥ २,३८.

In the seizure of cows, in the destruction of land, in death at the holy places of battle, whether highest, lowest, or middling, when the embodied one is oppressed, abandoning oneself there, one obtains long residence in heaven.

जीवितं मरणञ्चैव द्वयं शिक्षेत पण्डितः । जीवितं दानभोगाभ्यां मरणं रणतीर्थयोः ॥ २,३८.

A wise person should learn both life and death; life through giving and enjoyment, death at the holy places of battle.

हरिक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे भृगुक्षेत्रे तथैव च । प्रभासे श्रीस्थले चैव अर्बुदे च त्रिपुष्करे ॥ २,३८.

In Hari's field, Kurukṣetra, Bhṛgu's field, Prabhāsa, Śrīsthala, Arbuda, and Tripuṣkara—

भूतेश्वरे मृतो यस्तु स्वर्गे वसति मानवः । ब्रह्मणो दिवसं यावत्ततः पतति भूतले ॥ २,३८.

He who dies at Bhūteśvara dwells in heaven for as long as a day of Brahmā, then falls to earth.

वर्षवृत्तिन्तु यो दद्याद्ब्राह्मणे दोषवर्जिते । सर्वं कलं स मुद्धृत्य स्वर्गलोके महीयते ॥ २,३८.

He who gives the annual offering to a Brāhmaṇa free from faults, having removed all sin, is honored in the heavenly world.

कन्यां विवाहयेद्यस्तु ब्राह्मणं वेदपारगम् । इन्द्रलोके वसेत्सोऽपि स्वकुलैः परिवेष्टितः ॥ २,३८.

He who gives his daughter in marriage to a Brāhmaṇa versed in the Vedas dwells in Indra's world, surrounded by his own family.

महादानानि दत्वा च नरस्तत्फलमामुयात् ॥ २,३८.

Having given great gifts, a man attains the fruit thereof.

वापी कूपतडागानामारामसुरसद्मनाम् । जीर्णोद्धारं प्रकुर्वाणः पूर्वकर्तुः फलं लभेत् । जीर्णोद्धारेण वा तेषां तत्पुण्यं द्विगुणं भवेत् ॥ २,३८.

One who restores ruined wells, ponds, tanks, gardens, or temples obtains the fruit of the original creator; by restoring them, the merit becomes double.

शीतवा तातपहरमपि पर्णकुटीरकम् । कृत्वा विप्राय विदुषे प्रददाति कुटुम्बिने ॥ २,३८.

One who builds a leaf-hut, which protects from cold and heat, and gives it to a learned Brahmin who has a family,

तिस्रः कोट्योर्धकोटी च नरः स्वर्गे महीयते ॥ २,३८.

That person is honored in heaven for thirty million and half a crore years.

या स्त्री सवर्णा संशुबा मृतं पतिमनुव्रजेत् । सा मृता स्वर्गमाप्नोति वर्षाणां रोमसंख्यता ॥ २,३८.

A woman of the same caste, who is virtuous and follows her deceased husband, attains heaven after death for as many years as there are hairs on her body.

पुत्रपौत्रादिकं त्यक्त्वा स्वपतिं यानुगच्छति । स्वर्गं लभेतां तौ चोभौ दिव्यस्त्रीभिरलङ्कृतौ ॥ २,३८.

She who abandons her sons, grandsons, and others, and follows her own husband, both attain heaven, adorned with divine women.

कृत्वा पापान्यनेकानि भर्तृद्रोहमतिः सदा । प्रक्षालयति सर्वाणि या स्वं पतिमनुव्रजेत् ॥ २,३८.

Even if she has committed many sins and always harbored thoughts of betraying her husband, she washes away all those sins by following her own husband.

महापापसमाचारो भर्ता चेद्दुष्कृती भवेत् । तस्याप्यनुव्रता नारी नारायेत्सर्वकिल्बिषम् ॥ २,३८.

If the husband is engaged in great sins and is wicked, yet the woman remains devoted to him, she removes all his faults.

ग्रासमात्रं नियमतो नित्यदानं करोति यः । चतुश्चामरसंयुक्तविमानेनाधिगच्छति ॥ २,३८.

He who regularly gives just a morsel of food as alms, attains a celestial vehicle adorned with four fans.

यत्कृतं हि मनुष्येण पापमामरणान्तिकम् । तत्सर्वं नाशमायाति वर्षवृत्तिप्रदानतः ॥ २,३८.

Whatever sin a person has committed up to death, all of it is destroyed by giving according to the annual rite.

भूतं भव्यं बविष्यञ्च पापं जन्मत्रयार्जितम् । पक्षालयति तत्सर्वं विप्रकन्योपनायनात् ॥ २,३८.

Sin acquired in the past, present, or future over three births is washed away entirely by the initiation of a Brahmin girl.

दशकूपसमा वापि दशवापीसमं सरः । सरो भिर्दशभिस्तुल्या या प्रपा निर्जले वने ॥ २,३८.

A pond equals ten wells, a lake equals ten ponds, and a lake is equal to ten lakes; but a water-reservoir in a waterless forest is equal to all of these.

या वापी निर्जले देशे यद्दानं निर्धने द्विजे । प्राणिनां यो दयां धत्ते स भवेन्नाकनायकः ॥ २,३८.

A pond in a waterless place, a gift to a destitute Brahmin, and compassion towards living beings—he who practices these becomes a leader in heaven.

एवमादिभिरन्यैश्च सुकृतैः स्वर्गभाग्भवेत् । स तत्सर्वं फलं प्राप्य प्रतिष्ठां परमां लभेत् ॥ २,३८.

By such good deeds and others like them, one becomes a recipient of heaven; having obtained all those fruits, one attains the highest status.

फल्गु कार्यं परित्यज्य सततं धर्मवान् भवेत् । दानं दमो दया चेति सारमेतत्त्रयं भुवि ॥ २,३८.

Abandoning trivial actions, one should always be devoted to dharma; charity, self-restraint, and compassion—these three are the essence on earth.

दानं साधोर्दरिद्रस्य शून्यलिङ्गस्य पूजनम् । अनाथप्रेतसंस्कारः कोटियज्ञफलप्रदः ॥ २,३८.

Charity to the virtuous poor, worship of the empty emblem, and funeral rites for the unprotected dead—these grant the fruit of a crore sacrifices.

श्रीगरुडमहापुराणम् ३९ तार्क्ष्य उवाच । सूतकानां विधिं ब्रूहि दयां कृत्वा मयिप्रभो । विवेकाय हि चित्तस्य मानवानां हिताय च ॥ २,३९.

Tārkṣya said: O Lord, kindly explain the rules for impurity after birth and death, out of compassion for me, for the discernment of the mind and the welfare of mankind.

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच । मृते जन्मनी पक्षीन्द्र सूतकं स्याच्चतुर्विधम् । चतुर्णामपि वर्णानां सामान्यते विवर्जितम् ॥ २,३९.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: O king of birds, impurity after birth and death is of four kinds, and is not common to all four castes.