Shloka 19

Sūtaka-Nirṇaya: Causes, Duration, Exceptions, and Purification Protocols

Devanagari script

न तेषामशुभं किञ्चिद्विप्राणां शुभकर्मणि / अनाथप्रेतसंस्कारं ये कुर्वन्तु नरोत्तमः

Transliteration

na teṣāmaśubhaṃ kiñcidviprāṇāṃ śubhakarmaṇi / anāthapretasaṃskāraṃ ye kurvantu narottamaḥ

Translation

أولئك البراهمة الذين يؤدّون هذا الواجب المبارك لا يلحقهم أدنى شؤمٍ قطّ—إنهم خِيارُ الرجال الذين يقيمون طقوسَ الجنازة (saṃskāra) لروحٍ ميتةٍ عاجزةٍ لا مُعين لها ولا مُطالِب.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negative Particle

• teṣām: their
• teṣām: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural

• aśubham: inauspiciousness/sin
• aśubham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• kiñcit: any/little bit
• kiñcit: Viseshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim + cit (अव्यय)
• Form: Indefinite Pronoun/Adverb

• viprāṇām: of Brahmins
• viprāṇām: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural

• śubhakarmaṇi: in auspicious work
• śubhakarmaṇi: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śubha-karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• anāthapretasaṃskāram: cremation of ownerless corpse
• anāthapretasaṃskāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anātha-preta-saṃskāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• kurvantu: may they do (perform)
• kurvantu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Lot Lakara (Imperative), Parasmaipada, Prathama Purusha (3rd), Plural

• narottamaḥ: O best of men
• narottamaḥ: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara-uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (Sambodhana), Singular

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Performing funeral rites for an unclaimed/helpless departed being is auspicious; no aśubha accrues to brāhmaṇas who undertake it as a śubha-karman.

Vedantic Theme: Sevā and compassion as purifying; dharma transforms contact with death from defilement into merit when aligned with right action.

Application: Encourage community-supported last rites for abandoned/unidentified dead; remove fear of ritual contamination for qualified officiants acting per śāstra.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: funerary/cremation context implied

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.39 (anātha-preta-saṃskāra context); Garuda Purana śrāddha/antyeṣṭi discussions (general internal thematic link)

Characters & Entities

• Brahmins (Vipras)
• Preta (departed spirit)

FAQs

What is the importance of anātha-preta-saṃskāra in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that performing the funeral rites for a helpless, unclaimed departed person is a wholly auspicious act, bringing no inauspicious result to the performer and affirming it as a high form of dharma.

How does this verse relate to the soul’s journey after death?

By emphasizing rites for an unprotected preta, the text highlights that proper saṃskāras support the departed in the immediate post-death condition (preta-state), reducing vulnerability and aiding the transition onward.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Supporting last rites—through community service, donations, or assisting authorized priests/organizations—especially for those without family, is upheld here as compassionate dharma rather than a source of ritual impurity.