What is the Garud Puran?

A set of rules about death and afterlife.

What happens to souls with negative deeds?

They face severe punishments to learn lessons.

14 planetary systems, with Earth in the middle.

Traumatic experiences to remember wrongdoings.

Living with boundaries and respect for others.

The Garud Puran describes a detailed journey of the soul after death, guided by a familiar form of God, highlighting the impact of past deeds on one's destination and the necessity of facing consequences to learn and evolve.
Vedic literature underscores the importance of living harmoniously within boundaries, considering the impact on others and oneself, emphasizing the balance between material pleasures and spiritual growth, with individuals in heavenly realms seeking earthly lifetimes for spiritual enlightenment.

What is the Garud Puran?
A set of rules about death and afterlife.
What happens to souls with negative deeds?
They face severe punishments to learn lessons.
How many planetary systems are there?
14 planetary systems, with Earth in the middle.
What are punishments like in hellish planets?
Traumatic experiences to remember wrongdoings.
What is the concept of panchayagya?
Living with boundaries and respect for others.

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The Garud Puran is a set of rules and descriptions about what happens at the point of death and after death, detailing the extreme pain of detachment and attachment as the soul leaves the body.
After death, the soul is visited by a form of God that the individual understands best, potentially their guru, who guides them to their next destination based on their karmas, with positive or negative outcomes.
Souls with negative deeds in their past life are made to suffer severely in a journey where they face punishments reflecting the suffering they caused on Earth, aiming to teach them a lesson and present them with their life's report card.
The planetary system consists of 14 planetary systems, with the middle one being Earth, where individuals move up or down based on their piety or sins, leading to heaven or hellish planets managed by Yamaraja.
Punishments in hellish planets are meant to create a traumatic memory for individuals to remember their wrongdoings, undergo punishment, and then be given a new opportunity based on their karmic balance.
Vedic literature emphasizes living within boundaries to respect others' needs and fulfill one's own, following the concept of panchayagya to understand one's impact on other living beings and live with restraint.
Heavenly planets like Indra loka offer long lifespans, no distress, and constant sensory pleasures, but individuals there pray for a shorter lifespan on Earth for the spiritual knowledge and awakening possible in Bharat.