Garuda Puran: Stories, Punishments, & More

Every religion in the world works to motivate a person to do good. All the Puranas and scriptures worldwide mention that a person gets fruits per his deeds for the lifetime. There are descriptions of heaven and hell in many stories of Hinduism.

These Puranas mention the place where the gods live and the people who do good deeds after death is called heaven. On the contrary, people who do evil deeds get hell.

In the Sanatan Dharma, we find an explicit mention of the fruits obtained according to the Garud Puran deeds after death. In Garud Puran, different types of punishments are given in detail according to the sins of man.

About Garud Puran

Posthumous (after death) knowledge of Garud Puran is considered to be extremely important for followers of Hinduism. The Garud Puran has nineteen thousand verses.

There are two parts of Garud Puran.

The first part mentions the methods of devotion and worship associated with Vishnu. In this section, we can read the importance of Garud Puran after death. The second part of the Garud Puran gives a detailed description of the Rakshasha era.

It mentions, what is the movement of human beings after the death and death of an organism, which Yoni is obtained? How does one get rid of the Preta Yoni? How should one perform Shraddha and holy deeds? And how can one get rid of the sorrows of hell? Answers to such questions can be found in Garud Puran in detail.

Story of Garud Puran

The writer of garud puran is one Navanidhirâma, son of Sri Hari Narayana and the full story of Garud puran is a beautiful story about Maharishi Kashyap and Takshak Nag .

According to the legend of Garud Puran, King Parikshit was bitten by Takshak Nag snake due to the curse by a rishi, and he found Rishi Kashyapa on the way. Takshak Nag changed his disguise and asked a sage disguised as a Brahmin, where are they going so impatiently? The sage told that Takshak Nag Maharaj is going to bash Parikshit, and will remove the effects of their poison to give them life again.

Hearing this, Takshak introduced himself and asked him to return. Takshak told Kashyap ji that no person has survived till today due to the effects of my venom. Then Kashyapa said that with the power of his mantras, he would remove the poisonous effect of King Parikshit. On this, Takshak said that if this is the case then you should make this tree green.

When Takshak burnt the tree and incinerated it, Kashyapa burnt his mantra on the ashes of the tree and upon seeing it, the new buds burst out of that ash and in no time the tree became green again.

Surprised by this miracle of sage Kashyapa, Takshak asked for what reason he wanted to do good to the king? The sage said that he would receive a large amount of money from there. Takshak, finding a solution, sent him back with more money than what he was expecting. According to Garud Puran, this influence and power of Kashyapa Rishi increased after listening to Garud Puran.

Details of Garud Puran

Garud Puran has a total of 16 chapters. In this Garuda- the vehicle of Lord Vishnu, asks God some questions. King of Birds, Garuda questions God on two subjects, the first is who goes to hell, and what kind of torture is done there. Second is what are the pleasures in heaven and who is entitled to them.

Garuda God told Lord Vishnu, that he had visited all the three worlds and found that the people living there are immersed in sorrows. His heart was filled with pain. “O Hari, please answer my questions asked for public welfare and bless me and the human society.”

Raj Garuda asks Lord Vishnu many questions related to life and events that occur after death, such as how does a creature die, where does a human go after death? Who chooses heaven and hell according to deeds? Many such questions were attempted to reach the common people through Garud Puran.

Punishment According To Garud Puran

According to the Garud Puran book, the fruits of every karma performed on earth by man is given to him after he dies. In the Garud Puran (Garuda Puran), hell is also described as equal to living beings. A total of 84 lakh hells are mentioned in Garud Puran,

But 21 of them have been labeled as hell. These include Tamistra, Lohanshunku, Maharava, Shalmali, Raurava, Kudmal, Kalasutra, Putimrittika, Sanghat, Lohitod, Savish, Sampratpan, Mahaniraya, Kakol, Sanjeevan, Mahapath, Avichi.

There are 21 abject hells, superstition, kumbhipak, perfection and tenacity. These hells are full of many kinds of tortures. In these hells, many Yamadoots work together to torture a person according to their deeds. Apart from these 21 hells in Sanatana Dharma, 36 main types of main arguments are mentioned in mythological texts like Agni Purana, Kathopanishad including Garud Puran.

Tamisra

People who try to occupy the property of others, such as stealing or robbing. They are punished for Tamisra, as a punishment, a person is beaten with iron bars in hell.

Krumi Bhojanam

Insulting the guests and using others for their own benefit gets Krimibhojanam punishment. Under this punishment, such people are left in the midst of insects and snakes.

Mahavichi

It has been said that the people who kill cows have to suffer torture of superstition. Here there are only huge thorns of blood and iron on each side. It has thorns similar to Vajra which are punished and tortured by pricking the organism.

Raurav

Those who give false witness find a place in hell called Raurav where they are pierced with burning arrows of iron.

Manjush

People who keep others in captivity or imprisoned on earth are punished. Where a person is tortured with molten iron.

Andhakupam

Despite having resources, those who do not help the needy and persecute those who do good deeds. Leaving such people in the midst of wild animals as a punishment or throwing them in a well which contains poisonous animals like lion, tiger, eagle, snake and scorpion is called Andhakupam punishment.

Apratishtha

Humans who give grief or pain to the Brahmins or people with Satkarma, or persecute them, find a place in the unrestrained. This place is completely filled with exudate, urine and vomiting.

Vilephak

Alcohol consuming Brahmins are sent to Hell called Vilepak, which always burns with fierce fire.

Mahaprabha

There is a huge iron pointed arrow in the hell called Mahaprabha, in which the sinner is threaded. People of this hell are the home wreckers.

Abstract of Garud Puran

The content of Garud Puran focuses on eliminating curiosities of the after death, and what lies on the other end. Overall, it can be said that if a person lives his life according to Garud Puran you get heaven after death, whereas if he spends his life as a bad person, then he will have to face the tortures of hell.

Niti Tatva, Ayurveda, Gaya Tirtha importance, Shraddha method, Dasavatara Charitra, Surya and Chandra dynasty are also described in detail in Garud Puran. Apart from this, we also get information related to Garudi Vidya and ‘Vishnu Panjar Stotra’ etc. in Garud Puran itself.

Why Should You Not Keep Garud Puran at Home

Over time, there was a perception among some that Garud Puran should not be kept in the house. It should be heard only during the work related to Shraddh and Pitru etc.

This belief is highly misleading and full of superstition. It is a text that a person who listens to it, or whoever recites it, will be able to break the terrible tortures of Yamraj. He gets into heaven without sin.

Why is Garud Puran Read Post Death?

According to beliefs, Garud Puran is recited for the peace of the soul of the deceased. There is a provision of reciting Garud Puran in the house for 12 to 13 days after someone’s death. However, in today’s times, we can also see this custom as power. When someone in the family dies, the members of that household collapse.Hearing the text of Garud Puran empowers them to bear this terrible tragedy. The essence of Garud Puran is that a person should not stop doing good deeds under any circumstance in his life.

Benefits Of Reciting Garud Puran According To Religious Beliefs

The person gets it only after he dies. It is said that after dying, the soul of the person stays in the same house for 13 to 14 days and hears the recitation of Garud Puran. That is why reciting Garud Puran after someone’s death in the house gives salvation to the dead person.

It is said that the person gets the fruits of good and bad deeds done in life in this birth. But according to Garud Puran the soul also has to bear the fruits of good and bad deeds of a person. Posthumously, the lesson of Garud Puran teaches us that a person should move forward in life by doing right deeds. Life should be lived in a simple way. People who annoy others end up upset.

What Happens After Death

This is a question that you must have had a desire to know the answer.

You may have tried to answer such questions as well, but what happens after death? You will find the answer to all such questions in Garud Puran. Garud Puran religion emphasizes on pure and true conduct such as sin – virtue, morality – immorality, duty – non-duty and its auspicious – inauspicious fruits. He works to divide the life after death into three stages.

According to Garud Puran, it happens after dying – in the first stage a man gets the fruits of all good and bad deeds in this life.In the second stage, a man takes birth in any one of the eighty-four million vagaries according to his karma. In the third stage he goes to heaven or hell according to his deeds.