Shloka 15
Preta-mārga Supports (Dāna), Chitragupta’s Accounting, and the Enumeration of Narakas
गरुड उवाच / कस्मात्पदानि देयानि किंविधानि त्रयोदश / दीयते कस्य देवेश तद्वदस्व यथातथम्
garuḍa uvāca / kasmātpadāni deyāni kiṃvidhāni trayodaśa / dīyate kasya deveśa tadvadasva yathātatham
ગરુડ બોલ્યો—હે દેવેશ! આ ‘પદ’ કેમ દાનમાં આપવાના, અને આ તેર કયા પ્રકારના છે? કોને અર્પણ કરવાના? યથાતથ્ય રીતે કહો.
Garuda (Vinata-putra)
Beneficiary: Pitr
Concept: Ritual acts must be understood in purpose, number (thirteen), form, and proper recipient; correctness (yathātatham) matters.
Vedantic Theme: Śraddhā guided by vidhi; disciplined inquiry as a means to align action with dharma.
Application: Ask qualified teachers; perform rites with clarity about intent, items, and recipients rather than mechanical imitation.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: dialogue setting
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: detailed lists of śrāddha items, padas, and their recipients; Garuda Purana: Garuḍa’s questions initiating procedural expositions
FAQs
This verse frames the doctrine: the thirteen ‘padas’ are a defined set of post-death ritual offerings whose purpose, method, and recipient must be understood precisely rather than performed mechanically.
By asking “why, what kind, and to whom,” Garuda signals that the soul’s post-death journey is supported by specific rites (padas) done in a correct sequence, which the text will explain as part of preta-karma and śrāddha practice.
Approach funeral and śrāddha rites with clarity—learn the purpose, proper method, and intended recipient of each offering, and perform them conscientiously as an act of dharma and care for ancestors.