Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 14

Svapnādhāya (Dream-Chapter): Causes, Forms, Nourishment, and Liberation of Pretas

Devanagari script

मातरं भगिनीं भार्यां स्नुषां दुहितरं तथा / अदृष्टदोषां त्यजति स प्रेतो जायतेध्रुवम्

Transliteration

mātaraṃ bhaginīṃ bhāryāṃ snuṣāṃ duhitaraṃ tathā / adṛṣṭadoṣāṃ tyajati sa preto jāyatedhruvam

Translation

مَن يهجر أمَّه أو أختَه أو زوجتَه أو كنَّتَه أو ابنتَه—وهنّ نساء لا يُرى فيهنّ ذنب—فإنه يقينًا يصير «بريتا»، روحًا هائمة لا قرار لها.

Word by Word

• मातरम्: mother
• मातरम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• भगिनीम्: sister
• भगिनीम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaginī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• भार्याम्: wife
• भार्याम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāryā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• स्नुषाम्: daughter-in-law
• स्नुषाम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snuṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• दुहितरम्: daughter
• दुहितरम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duhitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• तथा: also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/particle: ‘also/likewise’)

• अदृष्टदोषाम्: (one) whose fault is unseen/without apparent fault
• अदृष्टदोषाम्: Karman (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-dṛṣṭa + doṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (अदृष्टः दोषः यस्याः सा)

• त्यजति: abandons
• त्यजति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• स: he
• स: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रेतः: a preta (ghostly being)
• प्रेतः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• जायते: is born/becomes
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चयार्थक/adverb: ‘certainly’)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Strī-parityāga of ‘adṛṣṭa-doṣā’ (faultless) dependents is grave adharma producing preta-bhāva after death.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma as purifier of antaḥkaraṇa; cruelty and abandonment strengthen tamas and bind the jīva to lower post-mortem states.

Application: Maintain protection and support of dependents; resolve marital/family conflicts through dharmic means; avoid impulsive abandonment that creates lasting harm and karmic burden.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: gṛhastha-dharma and śrāddha sections emphasizing care for dependents and consequences of adharma

Characters & Entities

• Pretas

FAQs

What is the importance of abandoning blameless women in Garuda Purana?

This verse treats unjust abandonment of dependent, blameless female relatives as a serious adharma that ripens into a disturbed post-death condition—preta-hood—indicating karmic obstruction and unrest after death.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

It links a specific ethical violation (tyāga/abandonment without fault) to a specific after-death outcome (becoming a preta), implying that moral failures can disrupt the normal transition of the jīva and produce a restless intermediate state.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Uphold household dharma: do not discard or neglect family members who are without wrongdoing; practice responsible care, fair conduct, and lawful, ethical resolution of conflicts to avoid harm and heavy karmic consequences.