Shloka 14
Svapnādhāya (Dream-Chapter): Causes, Forms, Nourishment, and Liberation of Pretas
मातरं भगिनीं भार्यां स्नुषां दुहितरं तथा / अदृष्टदोषां त्यजति स प्रेतो जायतेध्रुवम्
mātaraṃ bhaginīṃ bhāryāṃ snuṣāṃ duhitaraṃ tathā / adṛṣṭadoṣāṃ tyajati sa preto jāyatedhruvam
Sesiapa yang meninggalkan ibu, saudari, isteri, menantu perempuan atau anak perempuan—wanita yang tiada terlihat kesalahannya—pasti menjadi preta, roh yang tidak tenteram.
Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Strī-parityāga of ‘adṛṣṭa-doṣā’ (faultless) dependents is grave adharma producing preta-bhāva after death.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma as purifier of antaḥkaraṇa; cruelty and abandonment strengthen tamas and bind the jīva to lower post-mortem states.
Application: Maintain protection and support of dependents; resolve marital/family conflicts through dharmic means; avoid impulsive abandonment that creates lasting harm and karmic burden.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: gṛhastha-dharma and śrāddha sections emphasizing care for dependents and consequences of adharma
FAQs
This verse treats unjust abandonment of dependent, blameless female relatives as a serious adharma that ripens into a disturbed post-death condition—preta-hood—indicating karmic obstruction and unrest after death.
It links a specific ethical violation (tyāga/abandonment without fault) to a specific after-death outcome (becoming a preta), implying that moral failures can disrupt the normal transition of the jīva and produce a restless intermediate state.
Uphold household dharma: do not discard or neglect family members who are without wrongdoing; practice responsible care, fair conduct, and lawful, ethical resolution of conflicts to avoid harm and heavy karmic consequences.