Shloka 21
Entry into Yama’s Abode; Nature, Causes, and Signs of the Preta-State
सन्ततिर्दृश्यते नैव समुत्पन्ना विनश्यति / पशुद्रव्यविनाशश्च सा पीडा प्रेतसम्भवा
santatirdṛśyate naiva samutpannā vinaśyati / paśudravyavināśaśca sā pīḍā pretasambhavā
No offspring is seen; or, if offspring is born, it perishes. There is also loss of cattle and wealth—such suffering is said to arise from a preta.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Sustained deprivation—no progeny, death of offspring, loss of cattle/wealth—is framed as preta-sambhava pīḍā, i.e., suffering linked to unsettled departed forces and karmic residue.
Vedantic Theme: Duḥkha as a feature of saṃsāra; impermanence of possessions and relations; adṛṣṭa governing outcomes beyond control.
Application: Cultivate detachment alongside responsible action; in traditional frame, perform appeasement/ancestral rites and ethical correction; in practical terms, address health, livelihood risk, and community support.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.20.19-23 (catalog of preta-doṣa afflictions)
FAQs
This verse lists practical signs—loss of progeny, death of newborns, and destruction of cattle/wealth—framing them as disturbances linked to a preta and implying the need for proper post-death rites to restore order.
By attributing certain family calamities to a 'preta', it reflects the Garuda Purana idea that an unsettled departed being (preta-state) can linger and cause distress until appropriate rites help the transition toward the ancestral/further journey.
Maintain integrity and family dharma, and when a death occurs, perform prescribed funeral rites and śrāddha with sincerity; the text presents these as stabilizing measures for both the departed and the living household.