Shloka 21
Entry into Yama’s Abode; Nature, Causes, and Signs of the Preta-State
सन्ततिर्दृश्यते नैव समुत्पन्ना विनश्यति / पशुद्रव्यविनाशश्च सा पीडा प्रेतसम्भवा
santatirdṛśyate naiva samutpannā vinaśyati / paśudravyavināśaśca sā pīḍā pretasambhavā
اولاد دکھائی نہیں دیتی؛ یا اگر پیدا بھی ہو تو فنا ہو جاتی ہے۔ مویشی اور مال کا نقصان بھی ہوتا ہے—یہ اذیت پریت سے پیدا ہونے والی کہی گئی ہے۔
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Sustained deprivation—no progeny, death of offspring, loss of cattle/wealth—is framed as preta-sambhava pīḍā, i.e., suffering linked to unsettled departed forces and karmic residue.
Vedantic Theme: Duḥkha as a feature of saṃsāra; impermanence of possessions and relations; adṛṣṭa governing outcomes beyond control.
Application: Cultivate detachment alongside responsible action; in traditional frame, perform appeasement/ancestral rites and ethical correction; in practical terms, address health, livelihood risk, and community support.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.20.19-23 (catalog of preta-doṣa afflictions)
FAQs
This verse lists practical signs—loss of progeny, death of newborns, and destruction of cattle/wealth—framing them as disturbances linked to a preta and implying the need for proper post-death rites to restore order.
By attributing certain family calamities to a 'preta', it reflects the Garuda Purana idea that an unsettled departed being (preta-state) can linger and cause distress until appropriate rites help the transition toward the ancestral/further journey.
Maintain integrity and family dharma, and when a death occurs, perform prescribed funeral rites and śrāddha with sincerity; the text presents these as stabilizing measures for both the departed and the living household.