Shloka 20

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

Devanagari script

एकस्य पुत्रनाशः स्यादेको दुहितृमान् भवेत् / विरोधो बन्धुभिः सार्धं प्रेतदोषेण काश्यप

Transliteration

ekasya putranāśaḥ syādeko duhitṛmān bhavet / virodho bandhubhiḥ sārdhaṃ pretadoṣeṇa kāśyapa

Translation

ഓ കാശ്യപാ! പ്രേതദോഷം മൂലം ഒരാൾക്ക് പുത്രനാശം സംഭവിക്കാം, മറ്റൊരാൾ പുത്രികാസമ്പന്നനാകാം; ബന്ധുക്കളോടൊപ്പം വൈരവും ഉയരും.

Word by Word

• ekasya: of one (person)
• ekasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• putra-nāśaḥ: destruction/loss of a son
• putra-nāśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (putrasya nāśaḥ)

• syāt: may be / would occur
• syāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ekaḥ: one (person)
• ekaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• duhitṛmān: having a daughter
• duhitṛmān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duhitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + matup (मत्वर्थ-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; मत्वर्थ (possessive)

• bhavet: may become / would be
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• virodhaḥ: conflict/opposition
• virodhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: virodha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• bandhubhiḥ: with/among relatives
• bandhubhiḥ: Sahakari (Association/सहकारि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bandhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• sārdham: together with
• sārdham: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sārdham (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अर्थक अव्यय (adverb/preposition: 'together with')

• preta-doṣeṇa: due to the fault of a preta
• preta-doṣeṇa: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक) + doṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (pretasya doṣaḥ)

• kāśyapa: O Kāśyapa
• kāśyapa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśyapa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Preta-doṣa can manifest as progeny outcomes (loss/sex of child) and quarrels among relatives, indicating karmic/ritual causality affecting social harmony.

Vedantic Theme: Saṃsāric entanglement: attachment to lineage and outcomes; adṛṣṭa shaping relational experience.

Application: Strengthen family concord through dharmic conduct, reconciliation, and appropriate ancestral appeasement/śānti where tradition prescribes.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.20.19-23 (preta-doṣa symptoms and household afflictions)

Characters & Entities

• Kashyapa
• Preta

FAQs

What is the importance of preta-doṣa in the Garuda Purana?

This verse treats preta-doṣa as an affliction linked to an unsettled departed spirit, showing that it can manifest as misfortune (like loss of offspring) and social disturbance (conflict among relatives), thereby emphasizing the need for proper post-death rites.

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

By invoking preta-doṣa, the verse implies a state where the departed is not fully settled into the ancestral or post-mortem order, and that this unsettled condition can ripple into the living family—an indirect indicator of the importance of completing prescribed rites so the soul is not left in a preta condition.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Maintain family harmony and diligence in ancestral observances: perform śrāddha according to tradition, offer piṇḍa-dāna when appropriate, and address unresolved grief and disputes—since the text links spiritual neglect and familial conflict.