Shloka 92
Santaptaka’s Encounter with Five Pretas and Their Liberation through Viṣṇu’s Presence
जक्षामश्च पिबामश्च उक्त आचार एष नः / शृणु चाहारमस्माकं सर्वलोकविगर्हितम्
jakṣāmaśca pibāmaśca ukta ācāra eṣa naḥ / śṛṇu cāhāramasmākaṃ sarvalokavigarhitam
'ഞങ്ങൾ തിന്നുകയും കുടിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു' - ഇതാണ് ഞങ്ങളുടെ ആചാരമായി പറയപ്പെടുന്നത്. ഇനി എല്ലാ ലോകങ്ങളിലും നിന്ദ്യമായ ഞങ്ങളുടെ ആഹാരത്തെക്കുറിച്ച് കേട്ടാലും.
Preta (departed soul) speaking in the narrative; relayed within the Vishnu–Garuda dialogue
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: The preta’s mode of existence is bound to impure consumption; their ‘food’ reflects degraded karmic state and social-ritual condemnation.
Vedantic Theme: Tamas as binding force shaping experience; ‘you become what you partake of’—purity of āhāra aligns mind and destiny.
Application: Maintain sattvic āhāra and śauca; avoid actions that lead to tamasic states; perform rites to prevent preta-hunger affliction.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: descriptions of preta-bhojana and impure substances (contextual parallel)
FAQs
This verse signals that the preta’s sustenance is not normal nourishment but a karmically conditioned, shameful state—an indicator of suffering and deprivation shaped by past actions.
It presents the preta condition as a distinct phase where the departed experiences an altered existence—still seeking to eat and drink, yet forced into universally condemned forms of ‘food,’ reflecting the consequences of karma.
Live with restraint and dharma to avoid degrading karmic outcomes, and support traditional śrāddha/pinda offerings with sincerity as acts of responsibility toward the departed.