Scriptures & Texts
Garuda Purana
Hinduism
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One of the eighteen Mahapuranas, named for Garuda, Vishnu's eagle mount, in whose voice the second half of the text is framed as an answer to Garuda's own questions about death. It is best known for its uttara khanda (later section), which sets out the fate of the soul after death, the funerary and memorial rites (antyeshti and shraddha) owed by the living, the geography of the hell realms (Naraka) and the judgment of Yama and his recorder Chitragupta; recitation of this section at or after a death remains a living Hindu funerary custom. The earlier khanda covers cosmology, ritual, gemology and other miscellaneous topics typical of the genre's encyclopedic scope.
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Text
Literary Form Practice
Liturgical and Scriptural RoleIts uttara khanda is traditionally read or recited in the presence of a dying or recently deceased person and during the mourning period, giving it an active ritual role distinct from most other Puranas. 1 Structure
StructureDivided into a Purva Khanda covering cosmology, ritual and narrative material, and a shorter Uttara Khanda concentrated on death, the soul's journey after death and the funeral rites the section is used for liturgically. 1 Status
Canonical Status Status TodayLiving tradition, practised today 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
This source names Chitragupta directly: "the judgment of Yama and his recorder Chitragupta; recitation of this section at or after a death remains a living Hindu funerary custom."
This source names Garuda directly: "of the eighteen Mahapuranas, named for Garuda, Vishnu's eagle mount, in whose voice the second half of the text is framed as an answer to Garuda's own questions about death."
This source names The Fates directly: "One of the eighteen Mahapuranas, named for Garuda, Vishnu's eagle mount, in whose voice the second half of the text is framed as an answer to Garuda's own questions about death."
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