Shloka 20

Babhruvāhana Meets a Preta: Vṛṣotsarga, Heirless Death, and the Signs of Preta-Affliction

Devanagari script

कश्चिदत्राजगामाथ युक्तः प्रेतशतेन च / अस्थिचर्मशिराशेषशरीरः परिविभ्रमन्

Transliteration

kaścidatrājagāmātha yuktaḥ pretaśatena ca / asthicarmaśirāśeṣaśarīraḥ parivibhraman

Translation

Dann kam jemand dorthin, begleitet von hundert Pretas, die umherirrten – sein Körper war auf das reduziert, was an Knochen, Haut und Sehnen übrig geblieben war.

Word by Word

• कश्चित्: someone
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कश्चित् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); अनिश्चितवाचक सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• आजगाम: came
• आजगाम: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपदम्

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then/now)

• युक्तः: joined/attended
• युक्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युक्त (कृदन्त; युज्-धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रेतशतेन: with a hundred ghosts
• प्रेतशतेन: Sahakari (Association/सहकारि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: प्रेतानां शतम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), तृतीया विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• अस्थिचर्मशिराशेषशरीरः: one whose body was only bones, skin, and head-remnants
• अस्थिचर्मशिराशेषशरीरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्थि (प्रातिपदिक) + चर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक) + शेष (प्रातिपदिक) + शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहिसमास (यस्य शरीरं अस्थि-चर्म-शिरः-शेषम्); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• परिविभ्रमन्: wandering about
• परिविभ्रमन्: Kriya (Participial action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The preta-state is marked by deprivation and a diminished, suffering embodiment shaped by prior actions and ritual neglect.

Vedantic Theme: karma-bandha (bondage by action) manifesting as sukshma-deha distress; reminder of deha-abhimana’s futility.

Application: Perform proper antyeshti and shraddha; live ethically to avoid papa leading to distressing post-mortem states.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: open path/wayfarer’s route (implied by wandering)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: descriptions of preta bodies, hunger/thirst, and preta-retinues (contextual)

Characters & Entities

• Pretas

FAQs

What is the importance of the preta state in the Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights the preta as a post-death condition marked by distress and instability, where the being wanders and is described with a diminished, unsettling bodily form—underscoring why śrāddha and pinda-dāna are emphasized to aid the departed.

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

It depicts the departed as roaming with other pretas, suggesting a transitional, karmically driven journey where the being experiences disorientation and hardship before reaching further stages associated with Yama’s order and judgment.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live ethically to reduce harmful karmic outcomes and, within one’s tradition, perform appropriate funeral rites and śrāddha with sincerity to support the departed and cultivate responsibility toward ancestors.