Shloka 71
Svapnādhāya (Dream-Chapter): Causes, Forms, Nourishment, and Liberation of Pretas
देवद्रव्यं च ब्रह्मस्वं गुरुद्रव्यं तथैव च / कन्यां ददाति शुल्केन स प्रेतो जायते नरः
devadravyaṃ ca brahmasvaṃ gurudravyaṃ tathaiva ca / kanyāṃ dadāti śulkena sa preto jāyate naraḥ
Orang yang menggelapkan harta para Deva, brahmasva (harta yang diperuntukkan bagi Brahmana), dan harta guru, serta menikahkan gadis dengan menerima bayaran—ia terlahir sebagai preta.
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Appropriating sacred/teacher property and treating a maiden as a commodity (śulka) are grave adharma leading to preta-bhava.
Vedantic Theme: Aparādha against the sacred (deva/guru) intensifies karmic bondage; dharma protects social and spiritual order.
Application: Respect trust property and institutional funds; honor teacher-student ethics; reject commodification in marriage; practice transparent, consent-based social customs.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: sins involving deva-dravya and guru-droha leading to severe post-death states (Pretakalpa/Dharma sections)
FAQs
This verse treats wealth dedicated to Devas (devadravya) and sacred/Brahmin-associated property (brahmasva) as highly protected; violating them is said to lead to the preta condition after death.
It links specific unethical acts—especially misuse of sacred/guru wealth and monetizing a daughter’s marriage—to karmic results that can obstruct a peaceful transition, resulting in becoming a preta (a restless, unsettled departed being).
Avoid misusing religious/charitable funds, respect teachers’ property, and treat marriage as a dharmic sacrament rather than a transaction—choices framed here as preventing severe post-death karmic consequences.