Shloka 72
Svapnādhāya (Dream-Chapter): Causes, Forms, Nourishment, and Liberation of Pretas
मातरं भगिनीं भार्यां स्नुषां दुहितरं तथाः / अदृष्टदोषास्त्यजति स प्रेतो जादृ
mātaraṃ bhaginīṃ bhāryāṃ snuṣāṃ duhitaraṃ tathāḥ / adṛṣṭadoṣāstyajati sa preto jādṛ
Having become a preta, the departed one abandons even his mother, sister, wife, daughter-in-law, and daughter—though no fault is seen in them; such is the condition of that death-bound state.
Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Preta-bhava entails compulsive detachment and inability to sustain worldly relations, even with blameless kin.
Vedantic Theme: Impermanence of worldly ties; karmic forces override personal affection; saṃsāra’s sorrow (duḥkha) as impetus toward dharma and liberation.
Application: Do not rely solely on worldly bonds; perform proper rites and live dharmically to avoid painful liminal states; cultivate remembrance of the divine.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: descriptions of preta-lakṣaṇa—hunger, restlessness, inability to enjoy relations; need for śrāddha to transition; Garuda Purana: householders’ duties toward departed ancestors (śrāddha sections elsewhere)
FAQs
This verse highlights that once one becomes a preta, worldly bonds drop away—even with close, faultless relatives—showing the Purana’s emphasis on impermanence and the need for dharmic preparation and rites.
It indicates an immediate shift in identity and attachment: the person is no longer oriented around family-relations but enters the preta-condition, where the journey is governed by post-death law (dharma) rather than household ties.
Cultivate detachment and duty while alive, reduce clinging to relationships as permanent, and support dharmic end-of-life and post-death observances with a steady, non-possessive mind.