Shloka 12
Yamamārga, Antyeṣṭi-vidhi, and Daśāhika Piṇḍa-dāna
Road to Yama and Ten-Day Offerings
पुत्रस्तु बान्धवैः सार्धं विप्रस्तु पुरवासिभिः / पितुः प्रेतं स्वयं पुत्रः स्कन्धमारोप्य बान्धवैः
putrastu bāndhavaiḥ sārdhaṃ viprastu puravāsibhiḥ / pituḥ pretaṃ svayaṃ putraḥ skandhamāropya bāndhavaiḥ
The son should proceed together with the kinsmen, and the brāhmaṇa along with the townspeople. The son himself, with the relatives, should lift his father’s departed body and place it upon the shoulder.
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda)
Ritual Type: Ekoddishta
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: At the commencement of antyeṣṭi procession (immediate post-death)
Concept: Putra-dharma: the son personally undertakes the father’s last rites, supported by kin and community; collective duty upholds saṃskāra continuity.
Vedantic Theme: Embodied relationships are transient, yet dharma governs conduct within saṃsāra; fulfilling obligatory rites purifies and steadies the mind amid impermanence.
Application: Organize the funeral procession with relatives; ensure a qualified brāhmaṇa and community support; the son takes primary responsibility in carrying/overseeing the body.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: processional/public way
Related Themes: Garuda Purana sections describing putra’s role in antyeṣṭi and subsequent śrāddhas (contextual parallel within Pretakalpa/antyeṣṭi-vidhi).
FAQs
This verse assigns the son a direct dharmic duty: he personally bears and escorts the father’s departed body with the support of relatives, emphasizing filial responsibility in antyeṣṭi.
By calling the deceased ‘preta,’ the verse reflects the transitional post-death status; the body and rites are treated with ritual precision because the departed is understood to be in an in-between state requiring proper observances.
Participate responsibly in last rites—support the immediate family, follow prescribed funeral protocols, and treat the process as a duty of care and dignity rather than a mere custom.