garuDa puraaNa

Taught by Lord viSNu to his mount garuDa (eagle). Held in high esteem although some scholars feel that this is a recent spurious vais'Nava work probably composed in the tenth century AD. Size estimates vary from 8000 to 19,000 verses. Encyclopaedic in character, includes raamaayaNa and mahaabhaarata, cosmography, astronomy, astrology, omens and portents, medicine, precious stones, etc. The second part, preeta-kalpa, deals in great detail with death, the journey of the jiiva after separation from the body, rites at, and after death, torments of hell, encounter with preeta-s (spirits of the dead), yama-looka the world of yama (the god of death and hell) and liberation through devotion to Lord viSNu. Its recitation is considered auspicious during the death and after death ceremonies since it deals with eschatology in detail.