Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 11

Entry into Yama’s Abode; Nature, Causes, and Signs of the Preta-State

Devanagari script

आत्मजानां छलाल्लोका भूतसङ्घैश्च रक्षिताः / पिबन्ति ते च पानीयं भोजनोच्छिष्टयोजितम्

Transliteration

ātmajānāṃ chalāllokā bhūtasaṅghaiśca rakṣitāḥ / pibanti te ca pānīyaṃ bhojanocchiṣṭayojitam

Translation

اپنی ہی اولاد کے فریب سے دھوکا کھا کر اور بھوتوں کے جھنڈ کے پہرے میں رہ کر، وہ کھانے کے جھوٹے کے ساتھ ملا ہوا پانی پیتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• आत्मजानाम्: of (their) offspring/sons
• आत्मजानाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural); समास: आत्मनः जायन्ते ये = आत्मजाः (sons/offspring)

• छलात्: from deceit/trickery
• छलात्: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: छल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी (Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• लोकाः: people
• लोकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• भूतसङ्घैः: by hosts of spirits/beings
• भूतसङ्घैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + सङ्घ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural); समास: भूतानां सङ्घाः = भूतसङ्घाः

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• रक्षिताः: guarded/protected
• रक्षिताः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पिबन्ति: they drink
• पिबन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• पानीयम्: water/drink
• पानीयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पानीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• भोजनोच्छिष्टयोजितम्: mixed with leftover food
• भोजनोच्छिष्टयोजितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of ‘पानीयम्’/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भोजन (प्रातिपदिक) + उच्छिष्ट (प्रातिपदिक) + योजित (कृदन्त, युज् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); समास: भोजनस्य उच्छिष्टेन योजितम् = mixed with food-leftovers; ‘योजित’ = क्त (PPP) from √युज्

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Neglect, deception, and improper conduct around the dead rebounds as suffering; the departed become dependent on the living’s right action (and their own karma).

Vedantic Theme: Interdependence within samsara: subtle beings experience results shaped by prior karma and present relational actions; bondage persists through attachment and neglect.

Application: Do not cheat or neglect dependents (including elders/parents); perform proper post-death duties; cultivate integrity in family and inheritance matters.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Geographic Context

Type: captivity/guarded enclosure near impurity

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: themes of preta thirst and dependence on offerings; consequences when descendants neglect śrāddha (broader Pretakalpa and Śrāddha-kalpa sections)

Characters & Entities

• Bhutas
• Pretas

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the Garuda Purana’s description of punishment?

It highlights a specific after-death suffering: beings who are wronged through deception by their own descendants are depicted as being restrained by bhūta-groups and forced into degrading sustenance, illustrating moral causality (karma) in the preta state.

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

In the Preta Kanda narrative, the departed experiences conditions shaped by karma; here the soul’s helplessness is emphasized—being ‘guarded’ by bhūtas and subjected to impure water—showing how unethical actions and familial betrayal can manifest as preta-loka afflictions.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Maintain honesty and dharma within family duties—especially toward elders and dependents—and support proper śrāddha/pitṛ-related responsibilities, since the text frames familial deceit and neglect as spiritually harmful with serious consequences.