Shloka 47
Yamamārga, Antyeṣṭi-vidhi, and Daśāhika Piṇḍa-dāna
Road to Yama and Ten-Day Offerings
चितामारोप्य तं प्रेतं हुनेदाज्याहुतिं ततः / यमाय चान्तकायेति मृत्यवे ब्रह्मणे तथा
citāmāropya taṃ pretaṃ hunedājyāhutiṃ tataḥ / yamāya cāntakāyeti mṛtyave brahmaṇe tathā
بعد أن يُوضَع ذلك الراحل بوصفه «بريتا» على محرقة الجنازة، تُسكَب أُهوتي السمن (الغي) في النار. ويُستدعى: «ليَما» و«لأنتَكا»؛ وكذلك تُقدَّم لمِرتيو، وأيضًا لبرهما.
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vainateya)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Beneficiary: Preta (departed person)
Timing: At the time of placing the body on the pyre and beginning ājya-āhutis
Concept: Acknowledging cosmic order: death is governed by divine principles; offerings align the rite with those powers to secure proper passage.
Vedantic Theme: Acceptance of saṃsāra’s inevitability (mṛtyu-dharma) while performing ordained karma; surrender of outcomes to cosmic law.
Application: During cremation, offer ājya oblations with invocations to Yama, Antaka, Mṛtyu, and Brahmā as prescribed, maintaining mantra accuracy.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: shmashana (funeral pyre)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana passages describing Yama’s jurisdiction and the preta’s onward journey; Garuda Purana antyeṣṭi mantras and āhuti sequences
FAQs
This verse frames ājya-āhuti (ghee offerings) during cremation as a directed ritual invocation to Yama (and death-aspects), aligning the rite with the deceased’s post-death transition and the cosmic order administered by Yama.
By explicitly calling the deceased a “preta” and prescribing invocations to Yama/Antaka/Mṛtyu, the verse situates cremation as the threshold where the departed enters the post-mortem jurisdiction associated with Yama and the forces of death.
If one follows traditional antyeṣṭi, perform cremation rites with mindful, respectful invocations and offerings as prescribed; ethically, it emphasizes duty (dharma) toward the deceased and reverence for the inevitability of death.