Shloka 3

Āśauca and Udaka-kriyā: Post-Cremation Conduct, Eligibility, and Purifiers

Devanagari script

स दग्धव्य उपेतश्चैदाहिताग्न्यावृतार्थवत् / सप्तमाद्दशमाद्वापि ज्ञातयो ऽभ्युपयान्त्यपः

Transliteration

sa dagdhavya upetaścaidāhitāgnyāvṛtārthavat / saptamāddaśamādvāpi jñātayo 'bhyupayāntyapaḥ

Translation

Debe ser llevado debidamente para la cremación, realizando los ritos según lo prescrito, como los cumple quien ha mantenido los fuegos sagrados. Desde el séptimo día —o bien desde el décimo— los parientes también se acercan para ofrecer los ritos de agua.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he/that (person)
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• dagdhavyaḥ: to be cremated
• dagdhavyaḥ: Kriya (Obligation/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dagdhavya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √dah (धातु) + tavya, gerundive)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; gerundive: 'to be burnt/cremated'

• upetaḥ: having been attended/approached
• upetaḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upeta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; upa-√i (धातु) + kta)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; 'having approached/attended'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• idāhitāgnyāvṛtārthavat: as one endowed with (rites of) maintained sacred fire
• idāhitāgnyāvṛtārthavat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idāhita-agni + āvṛta + arthavat (प्रातिपदिक; components)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; bahuvrīhi: 'one whose purpose is covered/fulfilled by the (idāhita) sacred fire' (i.e., like one who has maintained the sacred fires)

• saptamāt: from the seventh (day)
• saptamāt: Apadana (Ablative/source/अपादान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saptama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular; used adverbially 'from the seventh (day)'

• daśamāt: from the tenth (day)
• daśamāt: Apadana (Ablative/source/अपादान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular; used adverbially 'from the tenth (day)'

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Disjunctive particle (विकल्प)

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) 'also/even'

• jñātayaḥ: kinsmen
• jñātayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• abhyupayānti: approach/come near
• abhyupayānti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-upa-√yā (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्/present), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural; parasmaipada

• apaḥ: waters (water-offerings)
• apaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ap (प्रातिपदिक; plural-only noun)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural; object of abhyupayānti

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: 7th day or 10th day after death (as stated)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Cremation should be duly performed, ideally by one versed in āhitāgni procedure; kinsmen perform water-rites on the 7th or 10th day.

Vedantic Theme: Ritual time (kāla) and duty (kartavya) structure grief; correct performance supports cosmic/social order (ṛta/dharma).

Application: Observe prescribed timelines for memorial/water offerings; delegate to competent ritual leadership; use the schedule to support family processing and communal support.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: cremation_ground_and_riverbank

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.106 (sequence: cremation, then udaka-kriyā on specified days)

Characters & Entities

• Jñātis (relatives)

FAQs

What is the importance of offering water (apaḥ) in the Garuda Purana after death?

This verse links the relatives’ water-offering (tarpaṇa) to a defined post-death schedule (7th or 10th day), treating it as a required support-rite following cremation.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

By prescribing timely cremation and subsequent water-rites by the family, the verse frames the immediate post-death transition as guided by ritual acts that aid the departed’s onward journey.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform cremation and the family’s water-offerings with discipline and on the traditionally observed days (commonly the 10th, or as locally practiced), emphasizing duty (dharma) and continuity of remembrance.