Shloka 143

Dharma–Adharma Marks; Daśāha, Piṇḍa Formation, Śrāddha Calendar, Śayyā-dāna, and Sapiṇḍīkaraṇa Rules

Devanagari script

पितरि प्रेततापन्ने लुप्यते पैतृकी क्रिया / अथ मातुर्विपत्तिः स्यात् पितृकार्यं न लुप्यते

Transliteration

pitari pretatāpanne lupyate paitṛkī kriyā / atha māturvipattiḥ syāt pitṛkāryaṃ na lupyate

Translation

إذا سقط الأب في حال «بريتا» (روح الميت حديثًا)، تُعلَّق الشعائر الأبوية المتصلة به؛ أمّا إذا نزلت المصيبة بالأمّ فلا تُعلَّق واجبات الطقوس الأبوية من جهة الأب.

Word by Word

• pitari: in/when the father
• pitari: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• preta-tāpanne: having fallen into the state of a preta (departed spirit)
• preta-tāpanne: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक) + āpanna (कृदन्त; √āp/आप्)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); past participle (क्त) used adjectivally; agrees with pitari

• lupyate: is omitted/ceases
• lupyate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √lup (लुप् धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); Passive voice (कर्मणि प्रयोग)

• paitṛkī: paternal
• paitṛkī: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paitṛkī (प्रातिपदिक; from pitṛ)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with kriyā

• kriyā: rite/ceremony
• kriyā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kriyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• atha: then/now
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable; discourse particle (अनन्तरार्थक/क्रमसूचक)

• mātuḥ: of the mother
• mātuḥ: Shashthi-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• vipattiḥ: misfortune/death/calamity
• vipattiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipatti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• syāt: should be/would occur
• syāt: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस् धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• pitṛ-kāryam: the rite/duty for the father
• pitṛ-kāryam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + kārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (father's duty/rite)

• na: not
• na: Pratishedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable negation particle (निषेध)

• lupyate: is omitted/ceases
• lupyate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √lup (लुप् धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); Passive voice (कर्मणि प्रयोग)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in dialogue instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: During the period when the father is in preta-state/aśauca-related interval; rule distinguishes parental contingencies.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Hierarchy and suspension/continuance of ancestral rites depending on which parent is in preta-state or afflicted; ritual obligations follow specific dharma rules rather than raw emotion.

Vedantic Theme: Karma and ṛṇa (pitṛ-ṛṇa) operate through niyama; dharma sustains cosmic order (ṛta) even amid impermanence.

Application: When father is in preta-state, suspend his specific pitṛ-kriyā; if mother is afflicted, do not suspend father’s pitṛ-obligations—consult śrāddha procedure and aśauca rules to avoid doṣa.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa/Śrāddha sections on aśauca, preta-kriyā, and pitṛ-kārya continuity (adjacent verses 2.34.142–146)

Characters & Entities

• Pitris
• Preta

FAQs

What is the importance of suspending rites (paitṛkī kriyā) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights that ritual continuity depends on which parent has entered the preta condition; it gives a dharma-rule about when certain ancestral rites are paused so that rites are performed in the proper order and eligibility.

How does this verse explain the preta state in the soul’s journey?

By stating “pitari pretatāpanne,” it treats the preta phase as a distinct post-death condition that affects ritual duties (śrāddha and related actions), showing that rites are timed according to the departed’s transitional status.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

If performing śrāddha or related family rites, consult tradition/priests about eligibility during bereavement (aśauca), and prioritize rites for the recently departed so obligations are fulfilled in the correct sequence.