Dāna for the Preta: Supreme Gifts, Yama’s Pacification, and Viṣṇu-Smaraṇa at the Time of Death
मत्स्यं कर्मं च वाराहं नारसिंहञ्च वामनम् / रामं रामं च कृष्णं च बुद्धं चैव सकल्किनम् / एतानि दश नामानि स्मर्तव्यानि सदा बुधैः
matsyaṃ karmaṃ ca vārāhaṃ nārasiṃhañca vāmanam / rāmaṃ rāmaṃ ca kṛṣṇaṃ ca buddhaṃ caiva sakalkinam / etāni daśa nāmāni smartavyāni sadā budhaiḥ
มัตสยะ กูรมะ วราหะ นรสิงห์ วามนะ รามะ ปรศุรามะ กฤษณะ พุทธะ และกัลกิ—นามทั้งสิบนี้บัณฑิตพึงระลึกเสมอ.
Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Nitya-smaraṇa of Viṣṇu’s daśa-nāma/avatāra names as a wise person’s constant practice.
Vedantic Theme: Nāma as upāsanā: remembrance purifies citta, aligns with īśvara, and supports liberation-oriented life.
Application: Daily japa or recollection of these names (e.g., morning/evening); use as a mental refuge during fear, grief, or moral uncertainty.
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: divine abode
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: Viṣṇu-nāma and bhakti passages recommending nāma-smaraṇa for protection and auspiciousness (general internal parallel).
This verse teaches constant smaraṇa (remembrance) of Vishnu’s ten incarnations as a core devotional practice, implying spiritual protection and steadiness of mind—especially meaningful in Preta-kāṇḍa contexts focused on after-death transition.
By emphasizing uninterrupted remembrance of Vishnu’s forms, the verse points to a bhakti-based support for consciousness at critical moments; in the Garuda Purana’s afterlife framework, such remembrance is presented as a stabilizing, auspicious aid amid fear, karma, and post-death rites.
Memorize and recite the ten names daily (japa/paṭhana), especially during illness, funerary observances, or śrāddha days, using the list as a concise devotion practice to cultivate calmness, ethical living, and God-remembrance.