Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 40
Sapindīkaraṇa: Timing, Eligibility, Gotra Rules, and Yearlong Śrāddha
with Vṛṣotsarga and Ghaṭa-dāna
पतिपत्न्योः सदैकत्वं हुताशं याधिरोहति / पुत्रेणैव पृथक् श्राद्धं क्षयाख्ये तस्य वासरे
patipatnyoḥ sadaikatvaṃ hutāśaṃ yādhirohati / putreṇaiva pṛthak śrāddhaṃ kṣayākhye tasya vāsare
الزوج والزوجة يُعَدّان على الدوام واحدًا؛ لذلك تصعد الزوجة إلى نار الجنازة (هوتاشا) مع زوجها. ومع ذلك، يجب على الابن أن يُقيم لها شرادها (śrāddha) على حدة في اليوم المسمّى «كشايا» (Kṣaya)، وهو يوم الذكرى المخصوصة للوفاة.
Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Ritual Type: Ekoddishta
Beneficiary: Mata
Timing: Kṣaya day (assigned death-anniversary/tithi for the wife)
Concept: Though husband and wife are ritually ‘one’ (sadā ekatva), the wife still requires an independent śrāddha by the son on the Kṣaya day (death-anniversary/assigned tithi) for her pitṛ-status.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma harmonizes relational unity with individual karmic/ritual entitlement; subtle distinction between saṃbandha and adhikāra.
Application: In annual rites, perform a distinct śrāddha for the mother on her prescribed Kṣaya/tithi even if joint funeral narratives exist; maintain separate sankalpa and naming.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: ritual site
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.26 (rules on śrāddha for spouses; separate piṇḍa and cooking provisions)
FAQs
This verse states that husband and wife are considered a single unit in dharma, which is why their funeral-related rites are discussed together; it frames the wife’s connection to the husband’s last rites while still preserving distinct śrāddha duties.
It assigns the son a clear obligation: even if the couple is treated as ‘one’ in principle, the son must still perform a distinct śrāddha for the departed woman on the specific ‘Kṣaya’ day.
Maintain clarity in family śrāddha observances: honor marital dharma while ensuring each departed relative receives the prescribed, separate remembrance rites on their appropriate tithi/day.