Garuda Purana Path

The Garuda Purana is one of the eighteen major Puranas, dedicated to Lord Vishnu in dialogue with his vehicle Garuda. The Pretakalpa portion specifically describes what happens to the soul after death — its journey through various realms, the role of family rituals, and the path to liberation. Reading the Garuda Purana during the 13-day mourning period is considered a profound act of guidance for the departing soul. A priest (or experienced family member) reads sections aloud in the household; family members listen and offer their attention as a form of dakshina (offering).

The text serves dual purposes: it instructs the family on the rituals to perform (specifically the Pretakalpa chapters describing Pind Daan, tarpan, and the geography of after-death realms), and it comforts the family with theological context for grief. The reading is believed to reach the soul of the deceased — the soul, in its newly-departed state, can hear and benefit from the wisdom. Many families specifically request the reading during the period between cremation and 13th-day rites.

The reading is performed during the 13-day mourning period — there is no internal muhurta selection within that window. Morning sessions (after the family's daily Pinda Daan) are most common. The reading itself can take 5-10 days at a leisurely pace; some priests recite the full text in a single 8-10 hour session.