Shloka 49
The Tale of the Five Pretas and the Glory of Puṣkara & the Eastern Sarasvatī
अयाज्ययाजनाच्चैव याज्यस्य च विवर्जनात् । रतो वै शूद्रसेवासु स प्रेतो जायते नरः
ayājyayājanāccaiva yājyasya ca vivarjanāt | rato vai śūdrasevāsu sa preto jāyate naraḥ
By officiating sacrifices for those unfit to be officiated for, and refusing those who are fit, and by being devoted to serving Śūdras, such a man is born as a preta, a restless ghost.
Unspecified (narrative voice within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa, Adhyaya 32)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अयाज्ययाजनाच्चैव = अयाज्ययाजनात् + च + एव; शूद्रसेवासु = शूद्र + सेवासु (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)
FAQs
It warns that corrupt ritual conduct—serving improper patrons (ayājya), refusing proper ones (yājya), and living in attachment to degrading service—leads to severe karmic consequences, described here as becoming a preta.
A 'preta' is a disembodied, restless post-death state often associated with unfulfilled rites or heavy demerit; the verse uses it as a consequence of dharmic violation.
No; it is primarily a dharma/karma statement about priestly and social-ethical conduct, not about tīrthas or devotional theology.