Shloka 37
Santaptaka’s Encounter with Five Pretas and Their Liberation through Viṣṇu’s Presence
ते नखैस्तलघातैश्च पादघातैस्तथैव च / दंष्ट्राघातैश्च सर्वे तमेकं प्रेतं व्यदारयन्
te nakhaistalaghātaiśca pādaghātaistathaiva ca / daṃṣṭrāghātaiśca sarve tamekaṃ pretaṃ vyadārayan
Dengan kuku, dengan tamparan tapak tangan, dengan tendangan kaki, dan juga dengan hentakan taring, mereka semua mengoyak-robek preta yang seorang itu.
Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vainateya)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Unchecked papa and craving manifest as predatory violence; preta-nature is driven by hunger and hostility.
Vedantic Theme: Tamas and rajas dominate when consciousness is bound to vāsanā; the ‘tearing’ mirrors inner fragmentation under ignorance.
Application: Cultivate sattva through ethical living and remembrance of the divine; reduce violent impulses and obsessive cravings.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.7.38 (their blows rendered futile; Death metaphor)
FAQs
This verse uses vivid imagery of physical assault to emphasize karmic consequence and urgency for dharmic living and proper post-death rites that aid the departed.
It depicts the preta condition as vulnerable and subject to suffering, implying that after death the being may undergo harsh experiences shaped by past actions until proper progression is attained.
Live ethically to reduce harmful karmic outcomes, and support traditional death rites (e.g., śrāddha, piṇḍa-dāna as per one’s tradition) as acts of duty and compassion toward ancestors.