Shloka 85
Yamamārga, Antyeṣṭi-vidhi, and Daśāhika Piṇḍa-dāna
Road to Yama and Ten-Day Offerings
तथव स व्रजन्मार्गे पुत्रपुत्रेति च ब्रुवन् / हाहेति क्रन्दते नित्यं कीदृशं तु मया कृतम्
tathava sa vrajanmārge putraputreti ca bruvan / hāheti krandate nityaṃ kīdṛśaṃ tu mayā kṛtam
Thus, as he goes along the path of departure, he repeatedly cries, “O son! O grandson!”, and continually wails, “Alas! Alas!”—thinking, “What kind of deeds have I done?”
Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra in the Preta Kanda context)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: At the threshold after death, attachment to पुत्र-पौत्र cannot help; remorse arises as karma is remembered and must be faced.
Vedantic Theme: Bandha through rāga (attachment) and the awakening of viveka through suffering; karma as one’s true companion.
Application: Practice detachment and ethical review (daily self-audit); cultivate bhakti/namasmaraṇa so the mind does not cling and panic at death.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: road/liminal passage
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: descriptions of the preta’s cries for relatives and the futility of worldly attachment; Garuda Purana: śrāddha sections emphasizing aid from rites rather than mere emotional clinging
FAQs
This verse shows that intense clinging to “son and grandson” becomes a cause of anguish on the preta-mārga, highlighting the need for dharma, detachment, and timely rites rather than helpless lamentation.
It depicts the departed (preta) moving on the onward path while crying out to relatives and regretting past actions, indicating psychological suffering and karmic self-reckoning during the transition after death.
Live with ethical discipline (karma), reduce possessive attachment, and support proper end-of-life and post-death observances so grief is tempered by duty and spiritual clarity.