Shloka 5
Akālamṛtyu: Preta-state Categories and the Nārāyaṇa-bali / Ekoddiṣṭa Remedy
कण्ठग्राह विमग्नानां क्षीणानां तुण्डघातिनाम् / विषाग्निवृषविप्रेभ्यो विषूच्या चात्मघातकाः
kaṇṭhagrāha vimagnānāṃ kṣīṇānāṃ tuṇḍaghātinām / viṣāgnivṛṣaviprebhyo viṣūcyā cātmaghātakāḥ
凡被扼喉窒息者、溺水而亡者、衰耗至极者、遭击打而死者——又有因毒、因火、因公牛、或因加害婆罗门之罪而丧命者；以及因剧烈痢疾而死者，并自尽者——皆属重苦之亡者。
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Concept: Violent, accidental, and sinful causes of death (including harm to a brāhmaṇa and self-killing) are karmically weighty and shape post-mortem suffering.
Vedantic Theme: Adharma produces duḥkha across realms; the moral order (ṛta/dharma) governs even the manner of death and its aftermath.
Application: Uphold ahiṃsā and protect the vulnerable; avoid self-harm; practice safety around fire/poison/water; seek atonement and reconciliation to reduce papa.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: further elaborations on specific narakas and punishments for suicide, violence, and brahma-hatyā-related harms (later naraka sections).
FAQs
This verse groups forms of violent, sudden, or afflicted death (choking, drowning, poison, fire, severe disease, suicide) to highlight how intense suffering at death can be linked with karma, and why such cases are treated as spiritually sensitive in preta-related teachings.
By naming categories of harsh deaths, it implies that the departed may enter the preta-condition with greater distress and confusion, making the post-death journey and judgment (as taught in the Preta Kanda) more arduous unless supported by dharmic conduct and appropriate rites.
Live to reduce harm and negligence (ahimsā, responsibility), avoid self-destruction, and when deaths are sudden or traumatic, families often seek preta-śānti and charity/ritual support with a qualified priest according to their tradition.