Shloka 8

Preta-lakṣaṇa and Svapna-nimitta: Dream Portents of Preta-affliction and the Prescribed Remedies

Devanagari script

वृषभारोहणं स्वप्ने वृषभैः सह गच्छति / उत्पत्य गगनं याति तीर्थे याति क्षुधातुरः

Transliteration

vṛṣabhārohaṇaṃ svapne vṛṣabhaiḥ saha gacchati / utpatya gaganaṃ yāti tīrthe yāti kṣudhāturaḥ

Translation

स्वप्ने वृषभारोहणं वृषभैः सह गमनं, अथवा सहसा उत्पत्य गगने गमनं, अथवा क्षुधातुरः सन् तीर्थं गमनं—एतानि स्वप्ननिमित्तानि प्रसिद्धानि।

Word by Word

• vṛṣabhārohaṇam: mounting a bull
• vṛṣabhārohaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣabha (प्रातिपदिक) + ārohaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (vṛṣabhasya ārohaṇam = mounting of a bull)

• svapne: in a dream
• svapne: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svapna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• vṛṣabhaiḥ: with bulls
• vṛṣabhaiḥ: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-शब्दः (indeclinable postposition); सहार्थे

• gacchati: goes
• gacchati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• utpatya: having risen up
• utpatya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pat (धातु) उपसर्गः ut-
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund): having flown up/leapt up

• gaganam: the sky
• gaganam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gagana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• yāti: goes
• yāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• tīrthe: to/at a sacred ford (tīrtha)
• tīrthe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• yāti: goes
• yāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• kṣudhāturaḥ: afflicted by hunger
• kṣudhāturaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣudh (प्रातिपदिक) + ātura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; तृतीयातत्पुरुष/उपपद-तत्पुरुष (kṣudhayā āturaḥ = afflicted by hunger)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dream symbols—vehicles (bull), ascent (sky), and tīrtha—can indicate karmic turning points; hunger underscores unmet obligations or impending transition.

Vedantic Theme: Impermanence and the mind’s symbolic language; karmic momentum (saṃskāra) surfacing as omens.

Application: Increase dharmic steadiness: charity, vows, tīrtha-visit if appropriate, and ensure family rites are in order; cultivate Vishnu-smaraṇa to stabilize fear.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: oneiric sacred landscape

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: svapna-nimitta lists including ascent/flight and animal vehicles as death-omens

Characters & Entities

• Garuda
• Vishnu

FAQs

What is the importance of dream-omens in the Garuda Purana?

This verse treats specific dream-images—bull-riding, flying in the sky, and going to a tīrtha while hungry—as meaningful संकेत (nimitta), used in the Preta Kanda to frame discussions on mortality and the need for timely dharmic preparation.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Indirectly: by listing omens that signal transition and vulnerability (such as hunger and unusual movement), it supports the Preta Kanda’s broader theme that one should be attentive to signs and align life with dharma before the soul’s post-death journey is described.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat unsettling or extraordinary dreams as prompts for self-correction—renew ethical conduct, reduce harmful habits, and (if tradition is followed) increase prayer/charity and remembrance of dharma rather than fear.