Shloka 32
Nāndīmukha-śrāddha (Prosperity Rites), Preta-kriyā, Aśauca, Ekoddiṣṭa, and Sapiṇḍīkaraṇa Framework
कुलद्वये ऽपि चोच्छिन्ने स्त्रीभिः कार्याः क्रिया नृप संघातान्तर्गतैर् वापि कार्याः प्रेतस्य याः क्रियाः उत्सन्नबन्धुरिक्थानां कारयेद् अवनीपतिः
kuladvaye 'pi cocchinne strībhiḥ kāryāḥ kriyā nṛpa saṃghātāntargatair vāpi kāryāḥ pretasya yāḥ kriyāḥ utsannabandhurikthānāṃ kārayed avanīpatiḥ
O King, even if both family lines are cut off, the rites for the departed must still be performed—by women, or by members of the community. Let not the due observances for the dead fall into neglect; and for those whose kin have perished and whose wealth stands without an heir, the ruler, lord of the land, should cause those rites to be duly carried out.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya; framed as guidance for kings)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Śrāddha and funerary duties (preta-kriyā) including cases with no surviving kin and the king’s obligation
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Even without surviving heirs, the obligatory rites for the departed must be ensured—by women, the community, or the king—so dharma and the preta’s due are not neglected.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Support last-rites and community care for the unclaimed dead through family, community institutions, and civic responsibility.
Vishishtadvaita: Dharma is upheld as service within Bhagavān’s moral order, where social responsibility participates in sustaining cosmic-ethical harmony.
FAQs
This verse makes ritual continuity a public obligation: even without surviving family lines, the departed’s rites must be performed to preserve dharma and social order.
Parāśara assigns the ruler a direct duty to ensure rites are carried out for those without relatives or heirs, showing kingship as guardianship over both welfare and sacred law.
Though Vishnu is not named, the teaching reflects Vaishnava dharma: the cosmos is upheld by order, and the king—an instrument of that order—must prevent the breakdown of essential rites.