Shloka 71
Āśauca, Daśāha Piṇḍa-Rites, Vṛṣotsarga, Sāpiṇḍīkaraṇa, and the Yama-mārga
Path to Yama
प्रथमे ऽह्नि तृतीये वा पञ्चमे सप्तमे तथा / नवमैकादशे चैव नवश्राद्धं प्रकीर्तितम्
prathame 'hni tṛtīye vā pañcame saptame tathā / navamaikādaśe caiva navaśrāddhaṃ prakīrtitam
On the first day, or on the third, the fifth, the seventh, likewise on the ninth and the eleventh—these are proclaimed as the nava-śrāddhas, the nine śrāddha rites for the departed.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Ritual Type: Ekoddishta
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: On day 1 or day 3 (variant), and on days 5, 7, 9, and 11 as part of navāśrāddha reckoning.
Concept: Navāśrāddha is proclaimed with day options: 1st or 3rd, plus 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th (variant enumeration).
Vedantic Theme: Dharma accommodates deśa-kāla (place-time) variation while preserving saṅkalpa and pitṛ-ṛṇa fulfillment; steadiness amid impermanence.
Application: Follow the recognized family/śākhā tradition for which days constitute navāśrāddha, ensuring the core sequence is completed.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: temporal (day options)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: variant listings of navāśrāddha days (2.5.69–71)
FAQs
This verse defines the traditional sequence of nine śrāddha observances on specific days after death, establishing an authorized ritual timetable for rites offered to the departed (preta) and ancestors (pitṛs).
By prescribing śrāddha on key post-death days, the text frames ritual support for the departed during the preta phase—when offerings and rites are understood to aid orderly transition and stability in the after-death passage described in the Preta Kanda.
Families can use this verse as a concise checklist for scheduling post-funeral śrāddha days (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, etc. within the nine-rite framework) and approach the rites with discipline, remembrance, and dharmic intent.