Shloka 91
Yamamārga, Antyeṣṭi-vidhi, and Daśāhika Piṇḍa-dāna
Road to Yama and Ten-Day Offerings
न नित्यदानं न गावाह्निकं कृतं न वेददानं न च शास्त्रपुस्तकम् / पुरा नदृष्टं न च सेवितो ऽध्वा देहिन्क्वचिन्निस्तर यत्त्वया कृतम्
na nityadānaṃ na gāvāhnikaṃ kṛtaṃ na vedadānaṃ na ca śāstrapustakam / purā nadṛṣṭaṃ na ca sevito 'dhvā dehinkvacinnistara yattvayā kṛtam
You have performed neither daily charity nor the customary daily rites for cows; you have given neither the Vedas nor books of sacred teaching. Formerly you neither beheld the truth nor practiced the path—O embodied soul, what deed of deliverance have you ever done at any time?
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda, addressing the departed jiva as 'dehin')
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: Neglect of nitya-dana, go-seva, and scriptural gifting leaves no ‘taraṇa’ (means of crossing) at death.
Vedantic Theme: Karma as upadhi shaping post-mortem trajectory; dharmic action as purificatory support for higher pursuit.
Application: Maintain daily giving/service (especially go-seva), support learning (veda/śāstra), and regularly ‘walk the path’ through practice, not mere intent.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: repeated ‘kim kṛtaṃ taraṇāya’ refrains in jiva’s lament passages; Garuda Purana: dana-mahima and go-dana/go-seva sections (general parallel)
FAQs
This verse frames nitya-dāna as a core dharmic practice that supports one’s spiritual “crossing over”; neglecting it leaves the soul without meritorious support in the post-death journey.
It presents an audit of neglected duties—charity, prescribed observances, and support of sacred learning—implying that without such dharma the embodied soul lacks the means of nistāra (deliverance) in the afterlife narrative of the Preta Kanda.
Maintain regular giving, serve and protect life (symbolized by the cow), support authentic learning/scriptures, and follow a consistent spiritual discipline—small daily actions accumulate as dharmic strength.