GARUDA PURANA JNANA YOGI VERSION

BADRI NARAYAN KRISHNAN

Old No. 38, New No. 6 McNichols Road, Chetpet Chennai - 600 031 First Published by Notion Press 2019 Copyright © Badri Narayan Krishnan 2019 All Rights Reserved. ISBN 978-1-64546-373-3 This book has been published with all efforts taken to make the material errorfree after the consent of the author. However, the author and the publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. No part of this book may be used, reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Contents Who Cannot Read This Book

v

Dedicated To

vii

Kaye Na Vaacha..

ix

Acknowledgements

xi

Introduction

xiii

Garuda Purana A Summary

xv

1. The Short Journey On Earth Ends, The Long Journey Of The

1

Afterlife Begins 2. The Painful Journey Of 1 Crore Miles

9

3. The Judgement Of Yama

16

4. Sins Which Lead To Hell

21

5. The Fruit Of Sins In Punar Janma

30

6. The Bliss Of Mukti, The Misery Of Punar Janma

32

7. The Story Of Babruvahana

36

8. 14: How Yama Honors The Righteous In Yamapuri

41

9. 15: Account Of The Punar Janma Of People Who Have Done

47

Good 10. 16: Narayana’s Path Of Righteousness To Swarga And Mukti

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50

Who Cannot Read This Book This book evolved out of my attempt to revive a lost sacred text called the “Shubha Dharma Garuda Purana”. The “Garuda Purana” is probably the most important, living Purana. In its original form (19,000 shlokas), it is a treatise that covers Ayurveda, creation theories and the afterlife. It contains graphic details of death and punishment. Thus the “Garuda Purana” is recommended for reading only to the evolved jnani in most Indian traditions. The layman is advised to read the “Shubha Dharma Garuda Purana”. I will soon publish The Shubha Dharma Garuda Purana. The Shubha Dharma.. version only contains parts that have a divine, ethical and metaphysical message. Narayana in his own words recommends its reading for the layman, philosopher and grihasta.

•v•

Dedicated To SadaShiva samarambham ! Sankaracharya madhyamam ! Asmad Acharya paryantham ! Vande guru paramparam !!

The pantheon of Sages and Acharyas beginning from SadaShiva himself Till the many Acharyas who have blessed me, I bow before them

Special thanks to my sister Smt. Akila who motivated me towards this Grantha.

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Kaye Na Vaacha.. Traditional Indian acknowledgement The wisdom of Hinduism is the wisdom of many Manvantaras (creations / galaxies – each millions of years). There are bound to be many interpretations, opinions on this knowledge. Every humble Vipra (student of vedic knowledge) is warned: Ekam Sath. !Ekam Brahma ! Vipra bahuda vadante !! There is only one truth. Only one Lord. But, there are many views / understandings / opinions among the learned The only way to knowledge is to submit to the tradition (Guru parampara) beginning with the Creator Brahma / Shiva, the great Acharyas and Rishis through Sankaracharya, and the many Acharyas we encounter in life (including many humble people, beings). SadaShiva samarambham ! Sankaracharya madhyamam ! Asmad Acharya paryantham ! Vande guru paramparam !! Sankaracharya establishes the tradition of knowledge in 2 steps 1. Tatah Kim 2. Na iti 1. Tatah kim (so what ? what next?). Question, question, question, study study, study, meditate, meditate, meditate, meditate 2. Na iti (it is not so, not accurate). He encourages us to discard ideas that do not stand up to open minded, honest scrutiny) I submit all my knowledge to my Acharyas above. I accept all the mistakes. If you feel there is a disagreement / mistake with your belief, rely

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KAYE NA VAACHA..

on your Atma Guru (inner Guru) to guide you. Also remember that, you have a duty to avoid the papa of unwarranted ninda (criticism). I am acting as a mere instrument through which these Acharyas are presenting their blessed wisdom. I do not claim any originality. In the spirit of “Vasu daiva kutumbakam”, I acknowledge Acharyas across time, place, ashramas…. This text is offered at the feet of these preceptors. Krishna arpanam asthu !

•x•

Acknowledgements Sanskrit contributors: Nava Nidhi Rama Sri Hari Narayaṇa King Sri Sukhalalaji

Modern contributors: S.V. Subrahmanyam (Veda Acharya to J Krishnamurti) Srisa Chandra Vasu (Allahabad) Shastri Manmatha Nath Dutt Acharya Sabha (Motilal Banarsidass) Ganesh Rama Kumar Ernest Wood John Bruno Hare Sacred-texts.com

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Introduction I present here a researched, Kali Yuga (modern / today) version of this grand text. If you feel there is a disagreement / mistake with your belief, rely on your Atma Guru (inner Guru) to guide you. Also remember that, you have a duty to avoid the papa of unwarranted ninda (criticism). Every ancient text should be read and studied respectfully. Some negative interpretations are to be expected due to the passage of time. I have stuck to a more metaphysical interpretation, especially in handling terms like “caste”, “slave”, “female”, “leprosy curse” etc. Hindu interpretation has varied depending on the Acharya background – Dvaita, Advaita, Visishtadvaita or the Shat Darshanas. I have tried to keep these biases / influences away by relying on the interpretation from the Vedic period. This book is written in the Manipravalam style. A tradition which integrates Sanskrit with the colloquial to present complex ideas. I am acting as a mere instrument through which these Acharyas are presenting their blessed wisdom. I do not claim any originality.

Background to this work It is indeed rare for an Acharya to permit the study of the “Garuda Purana”. It is considered the “Indian Book of the Dead”. I have been blessed by my Acharya to study this text. The subject of the “Garuda Purana” is not very pleasant, but nevertheless very relevant, necessary. This book evolved out of my work to revive a lost sacred text called the “Shubha Dharma Garuda Purana”. The “Shubha Dharma Garuda Purana” is credited with helping India achieve and maintain its pristine position in the world from vedic times. Invading enemies targeted the destruction of this text. Its disappearance led to the weakening of the Indian spirit. With the blessings of my Guru Parampara, I fervently hope that this publication of “Garuda Purana” and the forthcoming “Shubha Dharma Garuda Purana” will enable Indian Bharatiya Dharma to shine and illuminate the world. This is a translation of what is considered the core parts of the Garuda Purana.

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INTRODUCTION

I have sacrificed rhyme / poetry focusing on the philosophy and the eternal message. I’ve made an attempt to make this readable and understandable. I write this with the deepest love and respect for Sanathana Hindu Dharma. There is no intention to offend anybody’s sensibilities.

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Garuda Purana A Summary Hinduism has the distinction of being the most Theologically developed, diverse religion. The body of ancient knowledge is philosophically sound, varied, diverse and detailed. Every Indian must be proud: “The Jews were the proud People of the Book, as they had the Bible to guide them In that ancient time, Hindus already had several books to guide them” The Garuda Purana is one of the most important of the 108 puranas. It is part of the 18 Maha Puranas. To this day, it is one of the most actively used Puranas. While a Vipra (student of vedic texts) will tell you that the Garuda Purana is one of the most popular and used Puranas, the common man may not be aware of its importance. Today the Karma and Rebirth theories are gaining popular acceptance globally. The Garuda Purana offers excellent insights into both these uniquely Hindu philosophies. The Garuda Purana is: 1. 2. 3. 4.

One of the 18 Maha Puranas reorganized / compiled by Veda Vyasa One of the Vishnu Puranas One of the Sattivika Puranas Dialog between Narayana and Garuda, the King of Birds.

Veda Vyasa organized it into 2 Khandas (sections) • Purva Khanda The Purva Khanda deals with a variety of topics including: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Creation of the universe Creation of the Gods Methods of worshipping the Gods Worship of Vaastu Vaastu Shastra

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