Shloka 3
Svapnādhāya (Dream-Chapter): Causes, Forms, Nourishment, and Liberation of Pretas
श्रीभगवानुवाच / पापकर्मरता ये वै पूर्वकर्मवशानुगाः / जायन्ते ते मृताः प्रेतास्ताञ्छृणुष्व वदाम्यहम्
śrībhagavānuvāca / pāpakarmaratā ye vai pūrvakarmavaśānugāḥ / jāyante te mṛtāḥ pretāstāñchṛṇuṣva vadāmyaham
ശ്രീഭഗവാൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—പൂർവകർമ്മവശാൽ പാപകർമ്മങ്ങളിൽ ആസക്തരായവർ മരിച്ചാൽ പ്രേതഭാവത്തിൽ ജനിക്കുന്നു; കേൾക്കുക, ഞാൻ വിശദീകരിക്കുന്നു।
Lord Vishnu (Śrī Bhagavān)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Former deeds (pūrva-karma) compel tendencies; persistent pāpa-rati culminates in preta-state after death.
Vedantic Theme: Karma-bandhana and saṃskāra-driven rebirth; ethical causality governing post-mortem states.
Application: Interrupt sinful habits now (self-restraint, confession/prāyaścitta, dharmic conduct, devotion) to avoid preta-gati and cultivate sattvic saṃskāras.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: general preta-lakṣaṇa and preta-gati discussions (adjacent adhyāyas); Garuda Purana: karma-phala and yama-dūta narratives in Pretakalpa sections
FAQs
This verse frames the preta condition as a post-death state connected to one’s karmic tendencies—especially attachment to sinful actions—making it central to understanding why remedial rites and ethical living are emphasized.
It indicates that after death, a being may enter the preta condition depending on the force of prior karma, implying that the after-death journey is not random but shaped by accumulated actions and dispositions.
Reduce harmful actions and cultivate dharmic habits, remembering that repeated choices form karmic momentum; this supports a calmer end-of-life transition and aligns with the Purana’s emphasis on ethical restraint and repentance.