Shloka 38
Yamamārga, Antyeṣṭi-vidhi, and Daśāhika Piṇḍa-dāna
Road to Yama and Ten-Day Offerings
केचित्तं प्रेतमेवाहुर्यथा कल्पविदो बुधाः / तदादि तत्रतत्रापि प्रेतनाम्ना प्रदीयते
kecittaṃ pretamevāhuryathā kalpavido budhāḥ / tadādi tatratatrāpi pretanāmnā pradīyate
کچھ اہلِ علم—جو کَلب اور ودھی کے جاننے والے ہیں—اسی حالت کو بعینہٖ ‘پریت’ کہتے ہیں؛ اور اسی کے بعد مختلف مواقع پر اسے بار بار ‘پریت’ ہی کے نام سے پکارا جاتا ہے۔
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Ritual Type: Ekoddishta
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: From the point the preta designation is accepted onward (subsequent ritual contexts)
Concept: Śāstric epistemology: the designation ‘preta’ is affirmed by kalpavids (ritual experts), and that naming governs subsequent references and actions.
Vedantic Theme: Pramāṇa (śabda) as a means of knowledge in dharma matters; conceptual designation (saṃjñā) shapes prescribed action (pravṛtti).
Application: Follow established authoritative terminology and stages when performing rites; avoid improvising categories that could misalign offerings and intentions.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: textual-ritual context
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.15.37 (preta arises; some call it sādhaka); Garuda Purana 2.15.39 (five piṇḍas make śava fit for offerings)
FAQs
This verse clarifies that authoritative ritual scholars explicitly label the post-death condition as ‘preta’, establishing it as a technical term used consistently in the text for that transitional state.
It indicates that after a certain initial point following death, the being is repeatedly referred to as ‘preta’ across contexts—implying a recognized phase in the soul’s post-mortem journey that rituals and teachings address.
Treat post-death rites (śrāddha, piṇḍa-dāna, and related observances) as purposeful supports for the departed’s transitional condition, since the tradition frames that phase as a distinct, named state.