The Garuda Purana & The Prem Sagur(Prem Sagar)

The Garuda Purana

translated by Ernest Wood and S.V. Subrahmanyam

This is a translation of an abridged version of the Garuda Purana. The Garuda Purana is one of the Vishnu Puranas. It is in the form of a dialog between Vishnu and Garuda, the King of Birds. The second section of this Purana (given here) deals with issues connected with death, particularly funeral rites and the metaphysics of reincarnation. Portions of the Garuda Purana are used by some Hindus as funeral liturgy. Indeed, some consider it unlucky to read this text except during funerals.

Of interest are the intermediate states between birth and rebirth, which roughly correspond to the western concepts of Hell and Heaven. Since this was written during the medieval era, it is possible that the writer of this text had contact with Christianity. Earlier Hindu texts do not elaborate about 'hell' and 'heaven,' at least not to this extent, and the subject is completely absent in the oldest texts. Here, the torments of Hell are described in terms that would not be out of place in a Baptist revival tent (or Dante, for that matter). In addition, the four-square city of Yama, the God of Death, is reminiscent of the heavenly city in Revelation. However, these are way stations between incarnations (or, as termed in the Tibetan Book of the Dead, Bardos), not a permanent destination.

The Garuda Purana starts with the details of the afterlife. Following this is an account of funeral procedures, including rituals, the astrological timing of the post-death observances, and ritual gifts. Balancing the extended vision of Hell in the earlier part of the document is a shorter account of the City of Yama. After that is an enumeration of correspondences between the macrocosmos and the human body. The final part of this text is an appeal to self-knowledge as the key to liberation, going beyond austerities and study of the texts. "The fool, not knowing that the truth is seated in himself, is bewildered by the Shastras,--a foolish goatherd, with the young goat under his arm, peers into the well."


The Prem Sagur(Prem Sagar)

Author: Lallu Lal (Chaturbhuja Misra)
Translated by W. Hollings

English translation of a popular Hindi retelling of the Krishna cycle, based on the tenth book of the Bhagavata Purana.
The Prem Sagar was one of the first books published in modern Hindi, written in the Delhi dialect which was eventually adopted as one of the official national languages of India. It is the tale of the deeds of Krishna, the invincible avatar of Vishnu. Based on the tenth book of the Bhagavata Purana, the Prem Sagar, which means 'Ocean of Love,' (one of Krishna's epithets) was composed by Lallu Lal between 1804 and 1810. Lallu Lal's retelling of this traditional cycle of legends of Krishna is distinguished by naturalistic dialog and frank sensuality. The narrative overlaps with the Krishna section of the Vishnu Purana (also at this site). While the Prem Sagar is not considered part of Hindu scripture per se, it is popular because it makes this portion of the Purana narrative accessible to Hindi speakers who don't know Sanskrit.

Krishna is a complex character. His story is a huge mares' nest of archetypes and folklore motifs. He is spirited away to the countryside because of a prophecy of regicide, evading a massacre of innocents. In his youth he is the pastoral trickster, whose stunts eventually arouse the ire of the gods themselves. Part Coyote, Heracles, and Dionysus, the adolescent Krishna becomes the beloved of all of the women of the village, (chastely) consorting with all of them in turn. He battles monsters and demons in epic battles. As his destiny unfolds, he is lured into the city, where he overcomes the evil king in single combat, taking his place. As a ruler, Krishna is a mighty warrior with a plethora of gorgeous wives. However, he remains a man of the people. The royals constantly harp on his cow-herding origins. The mature Krishna showers spiritual