Hell According to Garud Puran – The Journey of the Soul After Death

Hell According to Garud Puran – The Journey of the Soul After Death

The Garud Puran, one of the eighteen Mahapuranas in Hinduism, is a sacred text that deals extensively with death, afterlife, karma, and the soul’s journey. One of its most thought-provoking sections is the vivid description of Hell (Narak) and the punishments given to souls based on their sins.

What is Hell (Narak) in Garud Puran?

In Garud Puran, Narak is the realm where souls are sent after death to experience the consequences of their sinful actions. Governed by Yama, the God of Death, this realm is a transitional stage before rebirth, where karmic debts are paid.

After death, Yamadoots (messengers of Yama) guide the soul through various realms. The soul is judged based on its karma, and if found guilty of major sins, it is sent to one of the many hells (Narak Lokas) for punishment.

Types of Narak and Their Punishments

The Garud Puran describes 28 primary types of Narak, each designated for specific sins. Some of them include:
Tamisra – For those who steal others’ wealth or wives; punishment includes darkness and torment.
Andhatamisra – For betrayal and deceiving one’s family.
Raurava – For harming others knowingly; souls are attacked by fierce animals.
Kumbhipaka – For those who cook and eat meat; souls are boiled in hot oil.
Asipatravan – For disrespecting scriptures and Vedas; punished in a forest of razor-sharp leaves.
Shukaramukha – For false witnesses and liars; faces are torn apart by iron hooks.
Each punishment corresponds to the nature and severity of the sin committed during the soul’s earthly life.

Sins and Their Consequences

Common sins mentioned in Garud Puran include:
Killing or harming innocent beings
Adultery and betrayal
Stealing, lying, and cheating
Disrespecting elders, teachers, and scriptures
Consuming intoxicants or meat
Neglecting one’s duties and dharma
Each of these leads to specific punishments in Narak, symbolizing purification before rebirth.

The Purpose Behind Hell in Hindu Philosophy

Unlike Western ideas of eternal damnation, Narak in Hinduism is not permanent. It serves as a corrective phase where the soul undergoes suffering, reflects upon its deeds, and prepares for the next birth. The purpose is spiritual cleansing and restoration of cosmic balance.

Liberation from Narak – The Path of Moksha

By following the path of dharma, truth, charity, devotion, and non-violence, one can avoid hell. Chanting divine names, performing Shraddha, reading the Garud Puran, and sincere repentance can liberate the soul from Narak and lead to Moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death).

There are eighty-four lakhs of hells in the Yamlok according to Garud Puran where the persons suffer through great torture according to their respective misdeeds. Different sins commited by men and resutant hells have been clarified in this Puran as follows :

Hell	Sin
Tamisra	He, who takes away other's money, woman, and son, suffers the ordeal of the hell named Tamisra. Yamdoods punish him here in many ways.
Andhtamisra	He, who deceives someone to coupulate with his wife, suffers severely in the hell named Andhtamisra. He becomes blind in this hell.
Raurav	They who engage in violence against someone, they become a dreadful animal named Rur and receive severe pain by falling in the hell named Raurav. It is said that the animal named Rur happens to be more dreadful than snake
Maharaurav	The carnivorous Rur animals make the jeev suffer in the hell named Maharaurav.
Kumbhipak	The man, who kills animals and birds and cooks them, falls into the hell named Kumbhipak. Yamdoots boil him here in the hot oil.
Kaalsootra	The person who antagonizes with father and Brahmin finds place in the hell named Kaalsootra. He is roasted in this hell in the severe temperature of sun and fire.
Aispatra	The man, who digresses from the path of Vedas and takes to quackery, is poked with double- edged sword after being whipped in the hell named Asipatra.
Shukarmukh	The man, who leads unreligious/atheistical life or inflicts physical pain upon others, falls in the hell named Shukarmukh and is crushed like cane in a crusher.
Andhkoop	In spite of being aware of the grief of the other person, he who makes him suffer falls in the hell named Andhkoop. Snake and other poisonous and dreadful animals drink his blood here.
Krimibhojan	The person, who, after preparing food, eat it all by himself fall into the hell named Krimibhojan and become a worm and suffer great pain.
Sandesh	The person, who steals or snatches money, falls in the hell named Sandesh. There he is scorched with burning mass of iron.
Taptsurmi	He, who rapes a woman, is beaten with whip and and is forced to embrace burning pillars of iron in the hell named Taptsurmi.

Hell	Sin
Shaalmali	The sinner who mates with animals etc. falls into the hell named Shaalmali where he suffers for his deeds by being grounded between the needles of iron.
Vaitarni	The person who does not follow dharma is thrown in the hell named Vaitarni in the river of blood, bones, nails, fat, flesh etc. and such unholy objects.
Puyod	The person, who, flouting the rules of good conduct, acts like animal, has to live in the hell named Puyod where he is fed on feces, urine, mucus, blood etc. and such horrible things.
Pranrodh	People who hunt the dumb animals are pierced with sharp arrows in the hell named Pranrodh.
Vishsan	The men who slaughter animal in the name of yajna are flogged in the hell named Vishsan.
Lalabhaksh	The sinner who, under the influence of lust, copulates with the woman of same gotra (family), has to drink seminal fluid while living in the hell named Lalabhaksh.
Sarmeyadan	The person, who robs or destroys other's property, falls into the hell named Sarmeyadan where an unusual animal named Sarmeya eats him by cutting into pieces.
Avichi	The person, who, despite being witness, gives false statement before court in the matter of donation or monetary transaction, is thrown from the top of the mountain on rocky field and is pierced with stones in the hell named Avichi.
Ayahpaan	The man, who drinks alcohol, is thrown into the hell named Ayahpaan where his mouth is pierced with the burning iron rods.
Ksharkardam	The person, who does not pay respect to men who are superior to him, suffers with numerous ordeals in the hell named Ksharkardam.
Shoolprote	Men, who entertain themselves by tying animals and birds and poke thorn into them, are pierced with thorn in the hell named Shoolprote. Crow and Bater make hole in their bodies with their beak.
Dandshook	The men, who are cruel by nature and do harm to others, are thrown among the snakes with five or seven hoods in the hell named Dandshook. These snake bite them day and night.
Avatnirodhan	The man who captures someone and keeps him at a dark place is placed in the hell named Avatnirodhan where he is made to suffer with the poisonous smoke of fire.
Paryavartan	The person, who looks upon the guests at home with the evil sight, is thrown into the hell named Paryavartan where cruel birds like crow, vulture, kite, etc. pull out his eyes with their sharp beaks.'
Suchimukh	The man, who always keeps busy in accumulating wealth and feels envious by growth of others, is sewn like cloth with needle by yamdoot in the hell named Suchimukh.

Further to this, there is detailed description of pretyoni, and method to avoid it, and securing sadgati (good position after death) without rituals. The glory of donation of pind, Shraadh-karma (post-funeral rites), and donation have been illustrated in it.

Finally, this Puran has been concluded with the glory of devotion of Lord Vishnu, prayer by Maharshi Markandeya, description of Sankhya, Vedant-yog, and establishing of the essence of Gita.