Shloka 12
Svapnādhāya (Dream-Chapter): Causes, Forms, Nourishment, and Liberation of Pretas
अन्तरिक्षे मृता ये च विष्णुस्मरणवर्जिताः / सूतकैः श्वादिसंपर्कैः प्रेतभावा इह क्षितौ
antarikṣe mṛtā ye ca viṣṇusmaraṇavarjitāḥ / sūtakaiḥ śvādisaṃparkaiḥ pretabhāvā iha kṣitau
Ceux qui meurent dans l’entre-deux de l’air (mort non naturelle) sans le souvenir de Viṣṇu; par des états d’impureté (sūtaka) et par le contact avec les chiens et autres semblables—demeurent ici sur la terre dans la condition de pretas errants.
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Ritual Type: Ekoddishta
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: Post-death period under sūtaka; remedial rites typically undertaken soon after for preta-release (implied)
Concept: Viṣṇu-smaraṇa at death is a decisive stabilizer of consciousness and gati; impurity states and degrading contacts can bind the jīva to preta-bhāva.
Vedantic Theme: Antaḥkaraṇa-vṛtti at the time of death influences the next state; nāma/smaraṇa aligns the mind with the Supreme, loosening karmic knots and fear.
Application: Cultivate daily Viṣṇu-nāma and remembrance so it arises naturally at death; maintain ritual cleanliness around death/impurity periods; perform remedial rites for those who died in distress.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: liminal space (mid-air) and terrestrial plane
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: preta-bhāva causes and remedies; emphasis on Viṣṇu remembrance; Garuda Purana: śrāddha and piṇḍa-dāna as means to release pretas
FAQs
This verse states that dying without Vishnu’s remembrance is linked with remaining in a preta-like condition, implying that sacred remembrance at death supports a smoother post-death transition.
It indicates that certain deaths described as occurring “in mid-air” (sudden/unnatural) combined with impurity and degrading contacts can result in the being lingering on earth as a preta rather than moving onward in the afterlife journey.
Maintain regular spiritual remembrance (nāma-smaraṇa), and observe traditional mourning/purity disciplines and prescribed rites so the departed is supported and the living avoid ritual disorder.