Shloka 52

Santaptaka’s Encounter with Five Pretas and Their Liberation through Viṣṇu’s Presence

Devanagari script

अददामन्नमाकृष्य विप्रे पर्युषितं कियत् / तस्मात् पापान्मृतः पापो योनिं वै कुत्सितां गतः

Transliteration

adadāmannamākṛṣya vipre paryuṣitaṃ kiyat / tasmāt pāpānmṛtaḥ pāpo yoniṃ vai kutsitāṃ gataḥ

Translation

Por haber retenido el alimento y, tras arrebatárselo a un brāhmaṇa, dar después sólo un poco ya rancio, ese pecador—muriendo por tal pecado—va en verdad a un vientre degradado y despreciable, a un nacimiento bajo.

Word by Word

• अददाम्: I gave
• अददाम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन; Imperfect, 1st person, Singular

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आकृष्य: having pulled/dragged (away)
• आकृष्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + कृष् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यबन्त-अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकाल; Absolutive (having pulled/dragged)

• विप्रे: to the brahmin
• विप्रे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; Masculine, Dative, Singular

• पर्युषितम्: stale (kept overnight)
• पर्युषितम्: Karma (Qualifier of object/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर्युषित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative, Singular (qualifying अन्नम्)

• कियत्: a little/how much
• कियत्: Karma (Extent/परिमाण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कियत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative, Singular (measure/extent)

• तस्मात्: from that/therefore
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; Ablative, Singular

• पापात्: from sin/because of sin
• पापात्: Apadana (Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• मृतः: died
• मृतः: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Past participle, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पापः: sinful
• पापः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Singular (qualifying implied person)

• योनिम्: womb/birth
• योनिम्: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• कुत्सिताम्: despicable
• कुत्सिताम्: Karma (Qualifier of object/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुत्सित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Feminine, Accusative, Singular (qualifying योनिम्)

• गतः: went/attained
• गतः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Past participle used actively, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Śrāddha-related feeding/gifting context

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Withholding and retracting gifts—especially food meant for sacred recipients—creates papa leading to low birth and suffering.

Vedantic Theme: Karma binds through doership and miserliness (mātsarya/lobha); generosity purifies, miserliness darkens the mind.

Application: Give promptly, respectfully, and adequately; never ‘take back’ what is offered; avoid humiliating recipients through stale or token giving.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Geographic Context

Type: household

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: preta-name etymologies tied to specific sins involving śrāddha and brāhmaṇa-apacāra

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa (Vipra)

FAQs

What is the importance of anna-dāna (food charity) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse treats food-giving as a serious dharmic duty: withholding food, retracting it from a vipra, or giving stale food in a miserly way is counted as pāpa that leads to an inferior rebirth.

How does this verse explain karmic results after death?

It links a specific unethical act—taking back offered food and giving only a small stale portion—to a concrete post-death outcome: the soul attains a degraded womb (kutsitā yoni), indicating painful karmic retribution through rebirth.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Give charity sincerely without retracting it, and offer food respectfully and fresh to worthy recipients; avoid performative giving that later turns into harm, insult, or stinginess.