Shloka 3

Svapnādhāya (Dream-Chapter): Causes, Forms, Nourishment, and Liberation of Pretas

Devanagari script

श्रीभगवानुवाच / पापकर्मरता ये वै पूर्वकर्मवशानुगाः / जायन्ते ते मृताः प्रेतास्ताञ्छृणुष्व वदाम्यहम्

Transliteration

śrībhagavānuvāca / pāpakarmaratā ye vai pūrvakarmavaśānugāḥ / jāyante te mṛtāḥ pretāstāñchṛṇuṣva vadāmyaham

Translation

شری بھگوان نے فرمایا—جو لوگ پچھلے کرموں کے دباؤ سے گناہ آلود اعمال میں لگے رہتے ہیں، وہ مر کر پریت (بھٹکتی روح) بن کر پیدا ہوتے ہیں؛ سنو، میں بیان کرتا ہوں۔

Word by Word

• श्रीभगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• श्रीभगवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री + भगवान् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संबोधनार्थ-शीर्षक (honorific epithet)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पापकर्मरता: devoted to sinful acts
• पापकर्मरता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पापकर्म + रत (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying)

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधान/निश्चयार्थ

• पूर्वकर्मवशानुगाः: following the compulsion of prior karma
• पूर्वकर्मवशानुगाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्वकर्म + वश + अनुग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• जायन्ते: are born / come to be
• जायन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; अन्वय-सूचक

• मृताः: dead
• मृताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृत (कृदन्त; √मृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle)

• प्रेताः: pretas (departed spirits)
• प्रेताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• तान्: them
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• शृणुष्व: listen
• शृणुष्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• वदामि: I speak
• वदामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (Śrī Bhagavān)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Former deeds (pūrva-karma) compel tendencies; persistent pāpa-rati culminates in preta-state after death.

Vedantic Theme: Karma-bandhana and saṃskāra-driven rebirth; ethical causality governing post-mortem states.

Application: Interrupt sinful habits now (self-restraint, confession/prāyaścitta, dharmic conduct, devotion) to avoid preta-gati and cultivate sattvic saṃskāras.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: general preta-lakṣaṇa and preta-gati discussions (adjacent adhyāyas); Garuda Purana: karma-phala and yama-dūta narratives in Pretakalpa sections

Characters & Entities

• Pretas
• Karma

FAQs

What is the importance of the preta state in Garuda Purana?

This verse frames the preta condition as a post-death state connected to one’s karmic tendencies—especially attachment to sinful actions—making it central to understanding why remedial rites and ethical living are emphasized.

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

It indicates that after death, a being may enter the preta condition depending on the force of prior karma, implying that the after-death journey is not random but shaped by accumulated actions and dispositions.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Reduce harmful actions and cultivate dharmic habits, remembering that repeated choices form karmic momentum; this supports a calmer end-of-life transition and aligns with the Purana’s emphasis on ethical restraint and repentance.