Shloka 73
Yamamārga, Antyeṣṭi-vidhi, and Daśāhika Piṇḍa-dāna
Road to Yama and Ten-Day Offerings
यतो देहे समुत्पन्ने प्रेतो ऽतीव क्षुधान्वितः / अतस्त्वामिषबाह्येन क्षुधा तस्य न नश्यति
yato dehe samutpanne preto 'tīva kṣudhānvitaḥ / atastvāmiṣabāhyena kṣudhā tasya na naśyati
For when the body of the preta-state has arisen, the departed one is intensely afflicted by hunger. Therefore, if he is kept without food-offerings (āmiṣa), his hunger does not subside.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Ritual Type: Ekoddishta
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: Daśāha period (implied, especially around 10th day)
Concept: Post-mortem experience (hunger) is real for the preta and is alleviated through karmically linked offerings by relatives; neglect prolongs suffering.
Vedantic Theme: Bhoga in subtle embodiment; interdependence via pitṛ-ṛṇa and ritual causality within saṃsāra.
Application: Do not omit food/offerings during the daśāha period; ensure continuity of śrāddha provisions according to capacity.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: rationale for piṇḍa and anna-dāna to preta; hunger as a defining preta symptom (2.15.71–75)
FAQs
This verse states that once the preta-body manifests, the departed experiences severe hunger; therefore prescribed offerings (as part of śrāddha/pinda-dāna traditions) are presented as a means to alleviate that condition.
It highlights an intermediate preta phase in which the being is described as experiencing bodily-like needs (hunger), implying that post-death rites are connected to supporting the departed during this transitional journey.
It encourages timely, sincere ancestral rites and charitable feeding in memory of the departed, reinforcing responsibility, gratitude to ancestors, and dharmic care for family obligations.