Shloka 62

Explanation of the Sapiṇḍana Rite; Causes of Pretahood; Viṣṇu Worship and Preta-ghaṭa Dāna

Devanagari script

ततो बले समायाते दत्त्वा राज्ञे महामणिम् / नमस्कृत्य पुनः प्रार्थ्य प्रेतो ऽदर्शनमीयिवान्

Transliteration

tato bale samāyāte dattvā rājñe mahāmaṇim / namaskṛtya punaḥ prārthya preto 'darśanamīyivān

Translation

ครั้นเมื่อกองทัพหลวงมาถึง เขาถวายแก้วมณีอันยิ่งใหญ่แด่พระราชา; แล้วกราบนอบน้อมอีกครั้งและทูลวิงวอน จากนั้นเปรตก็อันตรธานหายไปจากสายตา

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb): तस्मात्/ततः = thereafter/then

• bale: when/at the (royal) force/army
• bale: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; स्थान/अवसर-निर्देश (locative)

• samāyāte: having arrived / when (it) had come
• samāyāte: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√yā (धातु) → samāyāta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• dattvā: having given
• dattvā: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): having given

• rājñe: to the king
• rājñe: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन

• mahāmaṇim: a great gem
• mahāmaṇim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + maṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास: महाश्चासौ मणिः

• namaskṛtya: having bowed
• namaskṛtya: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: namas-√kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund): having saluted / having paid obeisance

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): again

• prārthya: having requested, having prayed
• prārthya: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√arth (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-समकक्ष (gerundive/absolutive usage): here as क्त्वान्तार्थे—having requested/prayed

• pretaḥ: the preta (departed spirit)
• pretaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• adarśanam: invisibility, disappearance
• adarśanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• īyivān: went, departed (entered)
• īyivān: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √i (धातु) → īyivas (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: परिपूर्णभूतकृदन्त (perfect active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोग: having gone/entered

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Preta’s condition can be influenced through right action and proper petition; gifts and respectful conduct shape outcomes.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala and the subtle continuity of the jīva beyond death; unseen causality manifesting in visible events.

Application: Respond to extraordinary/ethical requests with humility and prompt righteous action; treat the departed with reverence and follow prescribed rites.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: forest

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana, Pretakalpa: narratives on preta encounters and efficacy of śrāddha/ūrdhva-deha (contextual sequence around 2.27.64–65)

Characters & Entities

• Preta
• Raja (King)

FAQs

What is the importance of a preta ‘disappearing’ in the Garuda Purana?

It signals the preta’s non-gross, subtle mode of existence—able to appear briefly and then pass beyond ordinary perception, reinforcing the text’s teaching about the post-death subtle state.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

By showing the preta interacting with the living (giving a gem, offering salutations, making a request) and then vanishing, it illustrates that the departed may remain in a transitional condition before moving onward according to karma and rites performed.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat death-related duties seriously—perform śrāddha and related rites with sincerity, and cultivate ethical living, since the Purana frames the post-death condition as shaped by conduct and proper observances.