Shloka 14

Svapnādhāya (Dream-Chapter): Causes, Forms, Nourishment, and Liberation of Pretas

Devanagari script

मातरं भगिनीं भार्यां स्नुषां दुहितरं तथा / अदृष्टदोषां त्यजति स प्रेतो जायतेध्रुवम्

Transliteration

mātaraṃ bhaginīṃ bhāryāṃ snuṣāṃ duhitaraṃ tathā / adṛṣṭadoṣāṃ tyajati sa preto jāyatedhruvam

Translation

దోషం లేని తల్లి, సోదరి, భార్య, కోడలు లేదా కుమార్తెను త్యజించేవాడు నిశ్చయంగా ప్రేతుడుగా జన్మిస్తాడు।

Word by Word

• मातरम्: mother
• मातरम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• भगिनीम्: sister
• भगिनीम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaginī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• भार्याम्: wife
• भार्याम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāryā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• स्नुषाम्: daughter-in-law
• स्नुषाम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snuṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• दुहितरम्: daughter
• दुहितरम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duhitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• तथा: also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/particle: ‘also/likewise’)

• अदृष्टदोषाम्: (one) whose fault is unseen/without apparent fault
• अदृष्टदोषाम्: Karman (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-dṛṣṭa + doṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (अदृष्टः दोषः यस्याः सा)

• त्यजति: abandons
• त्यजति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• स: he
• स: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रेतः: a preta (ghostly being)
• प्रेतः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• जायते: is born/becomes
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चयार्थक/adverb: ‘certainly’)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Philosophical Teaching

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.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: gṛhastha-dharma and śrāddha sections emphasizing care for dependents and consequences of adharma

Characters & Entities

• Pretas

FAQs

What is the importance of abandoning blameless women in Garuda Purana?

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.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul 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.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

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.