Shloka 62

Explanation of the Sapiṇḍana Rite; Causes of Pretahood; Viṣṇu Worship and Preta-ghaṭa Dāna

Devanagari script

ततो बले समायाते दत्त्वा राज्ञे महामणिम् / नमस्कृत्य पुनः प्रार्थ्य प्रेतो ऽदर्शनमीयिवान्

Transliteration

tato bale samāyāte dattvā rājñe mahāmaṇim / namaskṛtya punaḥ prārthya preto 'darśanamīyivān

Translation

ثمّ لما قدمت جموعُ الملك، قدّم الجوهرةَ العظمى إلى الملك؛ ثم انحنى ساجدًا مرةً أخرى ورفع طلبه، فإذا بالـ«بريتا» يختفي عن الأنظار.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb): तस्मात्/ततः = thereafter/then

• bale: when/at the (royal) force/army
• bale: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; स्थान/अवसर-निर्देश (locative)

• samāyāte: having arrived / when (it) had come
• samāyāte: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√yā (धातु) → samāyāta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• dattvā: having given
• dattvā: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): having given

• rājñe: to the king
• rājñe: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन

• mahāmaṇim: a great gem
• mahāmaṇim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + maṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास: महाश्चासौ मणिः

• namaskṛtya: having bowed
• namaskṛtya: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: namas-√kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund): having saluted / having paid obeisance

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): again

• prārthya: having requested, having prayed
• prārthya: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√arth (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-समकक्ष (gerundive/absolutive usage): here as क्त्वान्तार्थे—having requested/prayed

• pretaḥ: the preta (departed spirit)
• pretaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• adarśanam: invisibility, disappearance
• adarśanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• īyivān: went, departed (entered)
• īyivān: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √i (धातु) → īyivas (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: परिपूर्णभूतकृदन्त (perfect active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोग: having gone/entered

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Preta’s condition can be influenced through right action and proper petition; gifts and respectful conduct shape outcomes.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala and the subtle continuity of the jīva beyond death; unseen causality manifesting in visible events.

Application: Respond to extraordinary/ethical requests with humility and prompt righteous action; treat the departed with reverence and follow prescribed rites.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: forest

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana, Pretakalpa: narratives on preta encounters and efficacy of śrāddha/ūrdhva-deha (contextual sequence around 2.27.64–65)

Characters & Entities

• Preta
• Raja (King)

FAQs

What is the importance of a preta ‘disappearing’ in the Garuda Purana?

It signals the preta’s non-gross, subtle mode of existence—able to appear briefly and then pass beyond ordinary perception, reinforcing the text’s teaching about the post-death subtle state.

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

By showing the preta interacting with the living (giving a gem, offering salutations, making a request) and then vanishing, it illustrates that the departed may remain in a transitional condition before moving onward according to karma and rites performed.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat death-related duties seriously—perform śrāddha and related rites with sincerity, and cultivate ethical living, since the Purana frames the post-death condition as shaped by conduct and proper observances.