Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 29

Entry into Yama’s Abode; Nature, Causes, and Signs of the Preta-State

Devanagari script

व्यसनैर्द्रव्यनाशः स्यादुपक्रान्तं विनश्यति / चौराग्निराजभिर्हानिः सा पीडा प्रेतसम्भवा

Transliteration

vyasanairdravyanāśaḥ syādupakrāntaṃ vinaśyati / caurāgnirājabhirhāniḥ sā pīḍā pretasambhavā

Translation

耽溺と破滅を招く悪習により財は失われ、始めた事（事業と利得）も滅びる。さらに盗賊・火災・王権（国家の力）によっても損失が生じる。その苦は、プレータ（成仏できぬ亡霊）の境涯より生ずると説かれる。

Word by Word

• vyasanaiḥ: by misfortunes, through calamities
• vyasanaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyasana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; Instrumental plural (by/through misfortunes)

• dravya-nāśaḥ: loss of wealth/property
• dravya-nāśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dravya (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: द्रव्यस्य नाशः); Nominative singular

• syāt: may occur, may be
• syāt: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; may be/should be

• upakrāntam: that which has been begun/undertaken
• upakrāntam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upa-√kram (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; PPP; begun/undertaken

• vinaśyati: perishes, is destroyed
• vinaśyati: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√naś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; perishes

• caura-agni-rājabhiḥ: by thieves, fire, and kings (authorities)
• caura-agni-rājabhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caura (प्रातिपदिक) + agni (प्रातिपदिक) + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (चौरश्चाग्निश्च राजाश्च); Instrumental plural

• hāniḥ: loss, damage
• hāniḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hāni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• sā: that (she/that)
• sā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• pīḍā: affliction, torment
• pīḍā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pīḍā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• preta-sambhavā: arising from a preta (departed spirit)
• preta-sambhavā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक) + sambhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: प्रेतस्य सम्भवा); agrees with pīḍā

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vainateya)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Addictive vices and adharma invite cascading loss; misfortune is framed as karmic/pretic affliction affecting wealth and undertakings.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala and saṃskāra-driven suffering; bondage through rajas-tamas leading to duḥkha.

Application: Avoid vyasana (addictions), protect wealth ethically, cultivate sattvic discipline; seek remedial rites/charity when persistent unexplained losses occur.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa 2.20 (preta-doṣa symptoms and causes); Garuda Purana sections on śrāddha and preta-śānti as remedies

Characters & Entities

• Pretas
• Raja (kings/rulers)

FAQs

What is the importance of the preta-condition (preta-sambhavā) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames certain experiences of loss and distress as linked to the preta-state, emphasizing that post-death suffering is not random but connected to one’s karmic momentum and unresolved attachments.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death in practical terms?

By describing recurring patterns of ruin—addiction-driven loss, collapse of undertakings, and harm from thieves, fire, or authorities—the verse points to how karmic residues can manifest as suffering in the preta phase until proper rites and inner purification are fulfilled.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Avoid destructive habits, protect wealth through ethical conduct and prudence, and reduce harm-causing actions—since the text links such behaviors to prolonged distress and instability, including in the after-death preta narrative.