Shloka 44

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

Devanagari script

एकाकी मिष्टमश्राति पोष्यवर्गमृते सदा / ब्राह्मणानामभावेन रोध (ह) कस्तेन चोच्यते

Transliteration

ekākī miṣṭamaśrāti poṣyavargamṛte sadā / brāhmaṇānāmabhāvena rodha (ha) kastena cocyate

Translation

A man eats sweets alone, ever excluding those who ought to be maintained and supported; and when Brahmanas are absent, by whom can the proper restraint of such conduct truly be spoken?

Word by Word

• ekākī: alone
• ekākī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka + ākī/ākī (प्रातिपदिक; एकाकिन्)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; adjective to implied subject

• miṣṭam: sweet food/delicacy
• miṣṭam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: miṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana

• aśrāti: eats
• aśrāti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √aś (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• poṣyavargam: the group of dependents
• poṣyavargam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: poṣya + varga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; samāsa: poṣyāṇāṃ vargaḥ (group of dependents)

• ṛte: without/except
• ṛte: Sambandha/Apādāna-artha (Exclusion/अपादानार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ṛte (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; upapada meaning ‘without/except’; governs ablative sense (here with accusative by usage)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb of time

• brāhmaṇānām: of Brahmins
• brāhmaṇānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (Genitive/6th), Bahuvacana

• abhāvena: due to absence
• abhāvena: Hetu/Kāraṇa (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā (3rd), Ekavacana

• rodhakaḥ: Rodhaka (the obstructer)
• rodhakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rodhaka (प्रातिपदिक; from √rudh/√rudh? ‘to obstruct’ → rodhaka ‘obstructor’)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana

• tena: therefore/by that
• tena: Hetu/Kāraṇa (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga/napuṃsaka, Tṛtīyā (3rd), Ekavacana

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction

• ucyate: is called
• ucyate: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु) (passive stem ucyate)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; ātmanepada/passive (karmaṇi prayoga)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra in Preta Kanda context)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Eating should be regulated by duty: one must support dependents and honor the deserving; solitary indulgence is adharma.

Vedantic Theme: Discipline of desire (indriya-nigraha) and purification of conduct (citta-śuddhi) through right living.

Application: Feed and care for dependents first; practice atithi-satkara; avoid secretive indulgence; seek counsel from the learned and cultivate self-restraint.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: food-related pāpa leading to naraka (implied linkage with 2.22.43)

Characters & Entities

• Brahmanas

FAQs

What is the importance of Brahmanas in Garuda Purana teachings on rites and dharma?

This verse implies that Brahmanas function as carriers of dharmic instruction and social-ritual discipline; without them, the corrective voice that restrains selfish conduct becomes hard to establish.

How does this verse relate to the soul’s journey and post-death observances in the Garuda Purana?

In the Preta Kanda setting, proper conduct—especially feeding those entitled and supporting ritual specialists—is linked to maintaining dharma that undergirds śrāddha and related rites, which are repeatedly emphasized as beneficial for the departed.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Avoid solitary indulgence while neglecting dependents; prioritize sharing, supporting elders/family obligations, and honoring legitimate teachers/ritual functionaries so that ethical accountability remains alive in daily life.