Shloka 30
Varṇāśrama-ācāra, Aśauca (Sūtaka) Regulations, and Prāyaścitta with Funeral-Rite Notes
पञ्चस्वापत्सु नारीणां पतिरन्यो विधीयते / भर्त्रा सहमृता नारी रोमाब्दानि वसेद्दिवि
pañcasvāpatsu nārīṇāṃ patiranyo vidhīyate / bhartrā sahamṛtā nārī romābdāni vaseddivi
In fünf Arten von Notlagen wird der Frau geboten, einen anderen Gatten zu nehmen. Doch die Frau, die zusammen mit ihrem Mann stirbt, weilt im Himmel so viele Jahre, wie es Haare am Körper gibt.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda / Vinatā-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Svarga
Concept: Āpaddharma permits remarriage in five calamities; alternatively, co-death with husband yields immense svarga merit.
Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala proportionality and the tension between worldly duty (survival/order) and idealized fidelity narratives.
Application: Recognize that dharma texts often contain both pragmatic exceptions and idealized exemplars; apply the pragmatic rule in real calamity, and treat the reward claim as value-signaling within its tradition.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: realm
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.107 (women’s dharma/āpaddharma context)
FAQs
This verse applies āpaddharma to marriage: in specified severe calamities, normal marital rules are relaxed and remarriage is permitted, showing that dharma adapts to preserve life and social order.
It links a specific act (dying together with one’s husband) with a stated post-death result—residence in heaven—presenting karma-phala (fruit of action) as a determinant of afterlife experience.
Read it as a reminder that dharma includes compassionate exceptions in crises, and that ethical intention and duty-oriented living are treated as spiritually consequential.