What Happens After Death as per Garuda Purana

What Happens After Death According to Garuda Purana

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• About Garudapurana
• Sequence Followed While Death
• What Happens After Death
• Importance of the 13 Days (Terahvin)

Introduction

Death is a universal truth. No one can escape it. Whosoever takes birth on Earth, has to die one day and that is why Earth is also Known as "MrityuLok" or the Planet of Death.

Our Hindu Scriptures are great, Our Vedas and Puranas have so much to read that I guess our one life isnt Sufficient for it.

About Garudapurana

Now, coming back to the topic I would like to tell about "Garudapurana". Garudapurana is one of the 18 Puranas that we have, which is basically based in the conversation between Lord Vishnu and his Vaahan, who is the PAKSHIRAAJ GARUD, or the King Of Birds.

One day Garuda asked Lord Vishnu, "Oh Lord please tell me what happens after the death of people ?"

Lord Vishnu replied "Oh Garuda, the king of birds, I will not Only tell what happens after death, I will also tell you how a person dies.

Sequence Followed While Death

1. When a person grows old, he becomes like a dog, he sits anywhere, he sleeps anywhere, he says whatever he likes as a dog barks without any reason, he will eat whatever you feed him, he will make his place messy and dirty like a dog does.
2. When a person is just about to die, a few minutes before dying he gets DIVYA-DRISHTI and he becomes able to see what we cant see with our naked eyes. He then sees the Two messengers knows as YAMADOOT whm we cant see, but only the person who is about to die can see them. Having received DIVYADRISHTI, just before dying, the person's whole life gets replayed in front of him starting from his birth. One by one All the incidents keep coming in front of the eyes of the dying person and that is the reason the dying person stops reacting to the nearby activites, even if someone tries to touch him or calls his name, the dying person wont react to it.
3. Since, the dying person gets DIVYADRISHTI and is able to see the Two YAMADOOTs, gets scared to such an extent that he loses control over his body. The YAMADOOTs look very scary, with extremely dark face and body, long nose and Long sharp nails, their eyes are so red and damn scary. Watching such a form of YAMADOOTs the dying person loses control over his body and even sometimes he urinates and excretes at the same place or bed due to the fear.
4. Now, the YAMDOOTs come near the dying person and put a noose inside the body and try to pull the soul out of it.
5. The body resists to let the soul go out of it. But YAMDOOTs keep pulling it out, it happens for few seconds. What I am going to tell you now is more scary, when the soul is being pulled out of the body, the dying person feels intense pain. The pain experienced by the dying person when the soul is being pulled out of the body is equal to 100 scorpions stinging you at the same time. Now we can get an idea how painful is the process of death.
6. Ultimately the soul is pulled out of the body and the body temperature goes down, the body weight decreases by 21 grams and it becomes stiff. Friends, this was the process before, during and after death.

What Happens After Death

In my previous Chapter we have seen how painful is the process of Death. Now, in this Chapter I will be explaning about the way to YAMALOKA.

The size of the soul which is pulled out of the body has been described as the size of a Thumb. Which means, The man of the size of a thumb, crying out 'oh, oh,' is dragged from the body by the servants of Yama, looking the while at his own body.

The messengers of Yama threaten the soul by saying "Hurry up you wicked man, you will be soon led to various hells." Then hearing these words, and the cry of his relatives, he is beaten badly by the servants of Yama. The soul is then forcefully lead to a long way in the same way as a King's officer lead a convict.

With the treats of the messengers of Yama, the soul starts to remember all his/her misdeeds.

Hungry and thirsty, getting almost roasted in sun, falling here and there exhausted, being beaten by the messengers of Yama, painfully he walks and reaches YAMALOKA.

Having seen the Yama, by the command of Yama, the soul is again brought back swiftly to earth near his relatives. The soul after seeing its body tries to go back into it but is held back by Messengers of Yama.

Yes, we have heard many times from people that the soul tries to attack people. Actually, it desires a body, and usually it desires for its own, but after cremation, till 13 days the body of the son of the dead is more prone to be acquired by the soul.

Importance of the 13 Days (Terahvin: A Soul's 13 Days after Death)

Now, there is something very special, ashtonishing, crucial in these 13 days. These 13 days aka TERAHVIN (Thirteenth) has its own importance. I will be explaining this in the next Chapter !