Garuda Puran: Rebirth and the Way to Liberation

The closing teaching of the Garuda Puran is the most important. After describing death, the road to Yama and the hells, the Lord tells Garuda how to escape the whole cycle.

Karma and the next birth

The Lord explains that after experiencing the fruit of its deeds the soul is born again, and its new birth is decided by its actions and its state of mind at the end:

• Those who act with sattva are born in good and righteous families.
• Those who act with rajas are born among people devoted to activity.
• Those who act with tamas go to lower births.

The text also describes the soul's experience in the womb: there it remembers its past lives and prays to God, promising to do good this time. But on being born, maya makes it forget everything. This reminds us that we once made a promise.

Human birth is precious

The Lord says: after wandering through eighty-four lakh forms of life, the soul attains human birth. Only a human can act with thought, improve and attain liberation; animals only live out the fruit of their actions. One who gains a human birth and spends it only on eating, sleeping and pleasure has received a pot of nectar and poured it into the dust.

The way to liberation

According to the Garuda Puran the means of liberation are:

• Knowledge of the self: understanding that I am not the body but the self; one who knows this has no fear of death.
• Devotion: remembering Lord Vishnu (or one's chosen deity), chanting the Name and hearing katha. The Lord says devotion is the simplest path.
• Good deeds and charity: what we gave in life goes with us.
• Right conduct: truth, non-violence, compassion, self-control and doing one's duty faithfully.
• Good company: the company of good people keeps the mind on the right path.
• Pilgrimage and vows: means of purifying the mind.
• Remembrance at the end: a lifetime's practice brings remembrance of God at the last moment.

Garuda's conclusion

Having heard everything, Garuda said: "Lord, now I understand that there is no need to fear death, only to live life rightly." The Lord said: "That is exactly the purpose of this knowledge."

The fruit of hearing the Garuda Puran

The Lord says: whoever hears or recites this Puran with faith turns towards good deeds themselves, and their departed relatives also find peace. In a home where this katha is held in a time of grief, the family gains patience and the right view of life.

What this part and the whole Garuda Puran teach

• Death is not an end but a stage; the deeds of life decide the road ahead.
• Human birth is the greatest opportunity; do not waste it.
• The real message of the Garuda Puran is not fear but awareness: live so that there is nothing to fear.
• Devotion, kindness, charity and honesty are the safest road, in this life and after.