Why is it a challenge for the soul to cross the Vaitarni river after death? This is mentioned in Garuda Purana

Garuda Purana talks about the Vaitarni river, which is on the way to Yamaloka and is a place of terrible torture for sinners. Those who do bad deeds on earth and are unrighteous are pushed into this terrible river by Yamdoots after death. Let us know what is the world of Yamraj after death and why crossing the Vaitarni river of Yamaloka is a challenge even for the soul.

 

 

Hindu religious texts provide information about the life of a person's soul after his death. According to religious beliefs, after death our body is cremated, but a new journey of the soul begins. Karma has been described in religious texts. It is said that the deeds done in your life determine how your life will be after death. Every human being born on this earth is sure to die one day. But this journey does not end after death. After this, the soul gets hell, heaven or salvation according to its karma. The tortures of hell are also described in Garuda Purana. It tells that due to which deeds a creature has to suffer in hell and how due to deeds some creatures fall into the Vaitarni river.

 

On the way to Yamalok comes the river Vaitarni, which has been described as very terrifying and painful in the scriptures. In this Vaitarni, sinners get punishment for their bad deeds and they have to endure many types of tortures. Today we know about this river described in Garuda Purana, due to which deeds the soul is pushed into the Vaitarni river after death. Let us know what is the world of Yamraj and what is the Vaitarni river in Yamalok.

 

 

This is mentioned in Garuda Purana

Once Garudaji asked the Lord about the sins due to which human beings fall into the Vaitarni river. Then the Lord explained that those who stay away from good deeds and always indulge in sinful deeds have to go from one hell to another, suffer one misery after another, and endure one fear after another. Sinful souls are taken through the southern gate. In the middle of this route comes the Vaitarni river, where the sinful souls go. Those who kill Brahmins on earth, drink alcohol, kill children, slaughter cows, kill women, perform abortions, usurp money from gurus and usurp money from Brahmins, they fall into the Vaitarni river.

 

Those who borrow and do not repay, those who betray, those who poison, those who envy the pious and do not appreciate their virtues, those who consider people inferior to themselves and do not respect them, those who avoid good company, those who insult holy places, saints, gurus and deities, those who insult the Puranas, Vedas, Nyaya and Vedanta, those who take pleasure in seeing a person in pain, those who torment others and those who speak ill of others, also fall into the Vaitarni River. All these unrighteous beings mourn day and night and walk on the path to Yama. There these animals have to endure the attacks of demons. After this, the messengers of Yama beat the souls and throw them into the Vaitarni River.

 

Those who insult their mother, father, Guru and other revered persons, those who do not give donations to Brahmins with a true heart after promising them, those who stop others from giving donations, those who interrupt the story, those who harm living beings for their own benefit, non-vegetarians, those who do not believe in the scriptures, those who kidnap women and those who want to have sexual relations with girls, they fall into Vaitarni. After suffering all kinds of tortures on the way, they reach Yam's palace and on Yam's orders, messengers reach there and push the sinners into Vaitarni once again.

 

The Lord explains that the Vaitarni river is the most painful of all the great painful hells. This is why Yama's messengers throw sinners into this river. According to religious texts and Garuda Purana, religious people consider the water of the Vaitarni river as Amrit, while sinful people consider this river to be full of blood. It is believed that the Vaitarni river extends up to a hundred yojanas and is home to a large number of vultures and fish. The water of this river boils and contains dirt, stench, flesh and many types of creatures. The sinners who fall into the abyss cry incessantly due to the tortures of the terrible creatures and boiling water. It is very difficult for sinners to cross this river. Some remedies have also been mentioned in the Puranas to avoid this suffering.

Donation of cow at the time of death

According to mythology, if a person donates a cow at the time of death, it can help him cross the Vaitarni river. It is said that when you reach the bank of this river, a cow comes and asks, "If there is any good work, tell me." Those who have donated a cow are able to cross the dangerous Vaitarni river skillfully by holding the tail of the cow.