Shloka 45

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

Devanagari script

प्रेतदोषः कुले यस्य सुखं तस्य न विद्यते / मतिः प्रीती रतिर्बुद्धिर्लक्ष्मीः पञ्चविनाशनम्

Transliteration

pretadoṣaḥ kule yasya sukhaṃ tasya na vidyate / matiḥ prītī ratirbuddhirlakṣmīḥ pañcavināśanam

Translation

പ്രേതദോഷം ബാധിച്ച കുലത്തിൽ സുഖം ലഭ്യമല്ല. അവിടെ അഞ്ചിന്റെ നാശം സംഭവിക്കുന്നു—സന്മതി, പ്രീതി, രതി, ബുദ്ധി, ലക്ഷ്മി (സമൃദ്ധി).

Word by Word

• प्रेतदोषः: preta-taint/fault
• प्रेतदोषः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक) + दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (fault/taint of preta)

• कुले: in the family
• कुले: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locus)

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• सुखम्: happiness
• सुखम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• तस्य: for him/ of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात

• विद्यते: exists/is found
• विद्यते: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present indicative); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• मतिः: intelligence, understanding
• मतिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• प्रीतिः: affection, joy
• प्रीतिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रीति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• रतिः: delight, pleasure
• रतिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• बुद्धिः: reason, intellect
• बुद्धिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• लक्ष्मीः: prosperity, fortune
• लक्ष्मीः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पञ्चविनाशनम्: destruction of the five (i.e., these five are destroyed)
• पञ्चविनाशनम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + विनाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (fivefold-destruction/that which destroys the five)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinatā-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Preta-doṣa in a lineage erodes sukha and destroys key human goods—discernment, affection, delight, intelligence, and prosperity.

Vedantic Theme: Adharma/neglect producing duḥkha and obscuration of buddhi; karma’s social ripple effects.

Application: Address ancestral/post-death obligations; restore harmony through appropriate rites, charity, and dharmic conduct to stabilize mind and fortune.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: domestic lineage space

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: descriptions of preta-bādha (affliction) and its signs in family life; Garuda Purana: sections listing harms from neglected śrāddha/antyeṣṭi (thematic)

Characters & Entities

• Pretas
• Lakshmi

FAQs

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

This verse frames preta-doṣa as a lineage-level disturbance: when a departed being remains unrested or unpropitiated, it undermines both inner faculties (judgment and intelligence) and outer stability (affection, joy, and prosperity).

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

By implying that an “unsettled preta” condition can persist, the verse supports the Garuda Purana’s broader teaching that proper antyeṣṭi and śrāddha aid the departed’s transition, while neglect can leave the deceased in a preta state that impacts the living.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat post-death duties as dharma: perform appropriate funeral rites and periodic śrāddha with sincerity, and cultivate family harmony—since the verse links spiritual neglect with loss of discernment, harmony, and prosperity.