Shloka 1
Āśauca, Daśāha Piṇḍa-Rites, Vṛṣotsarga, Sāpiṇḍīkaraṇa, and the Yama-mārga
Path to Yama
नाम चतुर्थो ऽध्यायः श्रीकृष्ण उवाच / एवं दग्ध्वा नरं प्रेतं स्नात्वा कृत्वा तिलोदकम् / अग्रतः स्त्रीजनो गच्छेद्व्रजेयुः पृष्ठतो नराः
nāma caturtho 'dhyāyaḥ śrīkṛṣṇa uvāca / evaṃ dagdhvā naraṃ pretaṃ snātvā kṛtvā tilodakam / agrataḥ strījano gacchedvrajeyuḥ pṛṣṭhato narāḥ
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: Thus, after cremating the man who has become a preta (departed spirit), and after bathing and offering tilodaka—sesame-water—the women should proceed in front, and the men should follow behind.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa (as stated in the verse heading)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: Immediately after cremation, following snāna
Concept: After cremation, purification and prescribed conduct (snāna, tilodaka, orderly procession) stabilize the living and honor the departed’s transition from preta-state.
Vedantic Theme: Saṃskāra as discipline shaping mind and community; acknowledgment of impermanence while maintaining dharmic order.
Application: After cremation: bathe, offer tilodaka, then proceed with women in front and men behind as per the stated rite-protocol.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: funeral route and bathing place
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: tilodaka and post-cremation purification steps (adjacent śrāddha/antyeṣṭi instructions); Garuda Purana: preta terminology and transition rites (Pretakalpa framing)
FAQs
In this verse, tilodaka (sesame-water) is prescribed immediately after cremation and bathing, indicating it as a key post-cremation offering connected to rites for the departed in the preta condition.
The verse explicitly calls the deceased a 'preta' after cremation, framing the actions—bathing and offering tilodaka—as part of the immediate ritual protocol directed toward the departed during this transitional phase.
If following tradition, perform purification (bathing) and offer tilodaka with reverence after cremation, and observe the prescribed decorum in the return/procession—women proceeding first and men following—according to one’s family and regional funeral customs.