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Shloka 52

Santaptaka’s Encounter with Five Pretas and Their Liberation through Viṣṇu’s Presence

Devanagari script

अददामन्नमाकृष्य विप्रे पर्युषितं कियत् / तस्मात् पापान्मृतः पापो योनिं वै कुत्सितां गतः

Transliteration

adadāmannamākṛṣya vipre paryuṣitaṃ kiyat / tasmāt pāpānmṛtaḥ pāpo yoniṃ vai kutsitāṃ gataḥ

Translation

لأني حبستُ الطعام ثم انتزعته من براهمن، ثم أعطيتُ بعد ذلك قليلًا منه وقد صار بائتًا؛ فإن ذلك الآثم—إذ يموت بسبب هذا الإثم—يمضي حقًّا إلى رحمٍ منحطٍّ محتقر، إلى ولادةٍ دنيئة.

Word by Word
अददाम्I gave
अददाम्:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootदा (धातु)
Formलङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन; Imperfect, 1st person, Singular
अन्नम्food
अन्नम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootअन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative, Singular
आकृष्यhaving pulled/dragged (away)
आकृष्य:
Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकर्म)
TypeVerb
Rootआ + कृष् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
Formल्यबन्त-अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकाल; Absolutive (having pulled/dragged)
विप्रेto the brahmin
विप्रे:
Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
TypeNoun
Rootविप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; Masculine, Dative, Singular
पर्युषितम्stale (kept overnight)
पर्युषितम्:
Karma (Qualifier of object/कर्म-विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootपर्युषित (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative, Singular (qualifying अन्नम्)
कियत्a little/how much
कियत्:
Karma (Extent/परिमाण)
TypeAdjective
Rootकियत् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative, Singular (measure/extent)
तस्मात्from that/therefore
तस्मात्:
Apadana (Source/Cause/अपादान)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; Ablative, Singular
पापात्from sin/because of sin
पापात्:
Apadana (Cause/अपादान)
TypeNoun
Rootपाप (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Ablative, Singular
मृतःdied
मृतः:
Kriya (State/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootमृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
Formभूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Past participle, Masculine, Nominative, Singular
पापःsinful
पापः:
Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootपाप (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Singular (qualifying implied person)
योनिम्womb/birth
योनिम्:
Karma (Goal/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootयोनि (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Feminine, Accusative, Singular
वैindeed
वै:
Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootवै (अव्यय)
Formनिपात (emphatic particle)
कुत्सिताम्despicable
कुत्सिताम्:
Karma (Qualifier of object/कर्म-विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootकुत्सित (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Feminine, Accusative, Singular (qualifying योनिम्)
गतःwent/attained
गतः:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootगम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
Formभूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Past participle used actively, Masculine, Nominative, Singular
Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Śrāddha-related feeding/gifting context

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Withholding and retracting gifts—especially food meant for sacred recipients—creates papa leading to low birth and suffering.

Vedantic Theme: Karma binds through doership and miserliness (mātsarya/lobha); generosity purifies, miserliness darkens the mind.

Application: Give promptly, respectfully, and adequately; never ‘take back’ what is offered; avoid humiliating recipients through stale or token giving.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Geographic Context

Type: household

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: preta-name etymologies tied to specific sins involving śrāddha and brāhmaṇa-apacāra

Characters & Entities
B
Brāhmaṇa (Vipra)

FAQs

This verse treats food-giving as a serious dharmic duty: withholding food, retracting it from a vipra, or giving stale food in a miserly way is counted as pāpa that leads to an inferior rebirth.

It links a specific unethical act—taking back offered food and giving only a small stale portion—to a concrete post-death outcome: the soul attains a degraded womb (kutsitā yoni), indicating painful karmic retribution through rebirth.

Give charity sincerely without retracting it, and offer food respectfully and fresh to worthy recipients; avoid performative giving that later turns into harm, insult, or stinginess.

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