Somaśarman

Somaśarman was a brāhmaṇa who became a preta (a wandering spirit of the dead) after his death. His descendants did not perform the funeral rites and the śrāddha (rites of offering for the departed) for him. He met the merchant Sudharmā, and the right rites were then performed. This freed him. Chapter 53 of the Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa tells his story as a teaching on how important the śrāddha duty is.

The preta state

When Somaśarman died, his descendants did not perform the funeral and śrāddha rites that were due to him. Without these rites, his spirit could not go on to the right realm. He stayed trapped as a preta. He could not eat, though he was always hungry. He could not rest. He could not go on to the next world. The Purāṇa describes this state of the preta as one of torment that comes wholly from the failure of living relatives to keep their sacred duty to the dead.

Meeting with Sudharmā

Somaśarman appeared before the merchant Sudharmā during the merchant’s travels. Sudharmā did not run away in fear. He met the preta with compassion, asked about his state, and learned what was needed to free him. Somaśarman told him his situation: the rites that were not done, how his descendants stood, and what had to be done. He asked Sudharmā to help.

Liberation

Sudharmā made sure that the right śrāddha rites were performed. Through this, Somaśarman was freed from the preta state. He was able to continue his journey to the realm that fitted his karma (the result of action) gathered in life.

Sources

• Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 53