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Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 1

Explanation of the Sapiṇḍana Rite; Causes of Pretahood; Viṣṇu Worship and Preta-ghaṭa Dāna

Devanagari script

प्रेतकल्पे सपिण्डननिरूपणं नाम षड्विंशो ऽध्यायः तार्क्ष्य उवाच / कथं प्रेता वसन्त्यत्र कीदृग्रूपा भवन्ति ते / महाप्रेताः पिशाचाश्च कैःकैः कर्मफलैर्विभो / सर्वेषामनुकम्पार्थं ब्रूहि मे मधुसूदन

Transliteration

pretakalpe sapiṇḍananirūpaṇaṃ nāma ṣaḍviṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ tārkṣya uvāca / kathaṃ pretā vasantyatra kīdṛgrūpā bhavanti te / mahāpretāḥ piśācāśca kaiḥkaiḥ karmaphalairvibho / sarveṣāmanukampārthaṃ brūhi me madhusūdana

Translation

Trong phần Preta-kalpa, chương thứ hai mươi sáu mang tên “Giải bày về nghi thức Sapiṇḍana.” Tārkṣya (Garuda) thưa: “Các preta cư ngụ nơi đây thế nào, và họ mang hình tướng ra sao? Và do những quả báo nghiệp nào, bạch Đấng Tôn Chủ, kẻ thì thành đại preta, kẻ lại thành piśāca? Vì lòng thương xót đối với muôn loài, xin Ngài dạy cho con, hỡi Madhusūdana (Vishnu).”

Word by Word
प्रेतकल्पेin the Pretakalpa section
प्रेतकल्पे:
Adhikarana (Location/Context)
TypeNoun
Rootप्रेत + कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (प्रेतानां कल्पः) — locative ‘in the Pretakalpa’
सपिण्डननिरूपणम्the exposition of sapiṇḍana
सपिण्डननिरूपणम्:
Karta (Subject/Title)
TypeNoun
Rootसपिण्डन + निरूपण (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सपिण्डनस्य निरूपणम्) — title noun
नामnamed
नाम:
Sambandha (Naming)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootनाम (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; नाम-शब्दः संज्ञायाम् (as called/namely)
षड्विंशःtwenty-sixth
षड्विंशः:
Visheshana (Qualifier)
TypeAdjective
Rootषड्विंश (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — ordinal adjective to अध्यायः
अध्यायःchapter
अध्यायः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootअध्याय (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — subject (chapter)
तार्क्ष्यTārkṣya (Garuda)
तार्क्ष्य:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootतार्क्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — subject of उवाच
उवाचsaid
उवाच:
Kriyā (Action)
TypeVerb
Rootवच् (धातु)
Formलिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — ‘said/spoke’
कथम्how
कथम्:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Interrogative)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकथम् (अव्यय)
Formप्रश्न-अव्यय (interrogative adverb: how)
प्रेताःpretas (departed spirits)
प्रेताः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootप्रेत (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — subject of वसन्ति
वसन्तिlive, dwell
वसन्ति:
Kriyā (Action)
TypeVerb
Rootवस् (धातु)
Formलट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन — ‘dwell/live’
अत्रhere
अत्र:
Adhikarana (Location)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअत्र (अव्यय)
Formदेशवाचक-अव्यय (here)
कीदृक्what kind of
कीदृक्:
Visheshana (Qualifier)
TypeAdjective
Rootकीदृश् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — interrogative adjective qualifying रूपाः
रूपाःforms
रूपाः:
Pradhāna (Predicate complement)
TypeNoun
Rootरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — predicate nominative with भवन्ति
भवन्तिare, become
भवन्ति:
Kriyā (Action)
TypeVerb
Rootभू (धातु)
Formलट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन — ‘become/are’
तेthey
ते:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — pronoun referring to प्रेताः
महाप्रेताःgreat pretas
महाप्रेताः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootमहा + प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान्तः प्रेताः) — subject (with piśācāḥ)
पिशाचाःpiśācas (ghouls)
पिशाचाः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootपिशाच (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — subject (coordinated)
चand
च:
Samuccaya (Coordination)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच (अव्यय)
Formसमुच्चय-निपातः
कैःby which
कैः:
Karana (Instrument)
TypeNoun
Rootकिम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-सम्भव, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन — interrogative instrumental ‘by which?’
कैःby what various
कैः:
Karana (Instrument)
TypeNoun
Rootकिम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुनरुक्त-प्रयोगः (kaiḥ-kaiḥ) — distributive: ‘by which which (various)’; तृतीया, बहुवचन
कर्मफलैःby the fruits of actions
कर्मफलैः:
Karana (Instrument)
TypeNoun
Rootकर्म + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (कर्मणः फलम्) — instrumental
विभोO Lord
विभो:
Sambodhana (Address)
TypeNoun
Rootविभु (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — vocative
सर्वेषाम्of all (beings)
सर्वेषाम्:
Sambandha (Genitive relation)
TypeNoun
Rootसर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुं/नपुंसक-समूह, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन — ‘of all’
अनुकम्पार्थम्for (their) compassion/sake of mercy
अनुकम्पार्थम्:
Prayojana (Purpose)
TypeNoun
Rootअनुकम्पा + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (अनुकम्पायाः अर्थः) — accusative of purpose
ब्रूहिtell
ब्रूहि:
Kriyā (Command)
TypeVerb
Rootब्रू (धातु)
Formलोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन — ‘tell’
मेto me
मे:
Sampradana (Recipient)
TypeNoun
Rootअस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formषष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन-रूपम्; अत्र चतुर्थी (4th/dative) — ‘to me’
मधुसूदनO Madhusūdana (slayer of Madhu)
मधुसूदन:
Sambodhana (Address)
TypeNoun
Rootमधुसूदन (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (मधुं सूदयति इति) — vocative epithet
Speaker

Garuda (Tārkṣya, Vinatā-putra) addressing Lord Vishnu (Madhusūdana)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Sapindana

Beneficiary: Pitr

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Forms and dwelling-states of pretas arise from specific karma-phala; knowledge is sought for universal compassion.

Vedantic Theme: Karma determines embodiment and experience across realms; jñāna (right understanding) supports dharma and compassionate action.

Application: Cultivate awareness that actions shape post-mortem outcomes; let compassion motivate learning and performing supportive rites and ethical living.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: dialogue setting (Vishnu–Garuda samvada)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: subsequent sections describing preta-lakṣaṇa, preta-vāsa, mahāpreta and piśāca causes (2.27 onward); Garuda Purana: naraka descriptions and karma-phala mapping in Pretakalpa chapters

Characters & Entities
G
Garuda (Tārkṣya)
V
Vishnu (Madhusūdana)
P
Pretas
M
Mahapretas
P
Pisachas

FAQs

This verse introduces the Sapiṇḍana topic as a compassionate inquiry into the preta condition, implying the rite’s role in addressing the post-death state and integrating the departed into the ancestral continuum.

It frames the after-death journey as a karma-shaped existence: beings may remain as pretas in various forms, and specific karmic results can lead to more intense states such as mahāpreta or piśāca.

Live with awareness of karma’s consequences and, when a death occurs, perform prescribed śrāddha-related duties (including sapiṇḍana where traditional practice applies) with compassion and responsibility toward the departed.

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