Shloka 8
स्त्रीपर्व १: धृतराष्ट्रशोकः संजयाश्वासनं च
Strī Parva 1: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Saṃjaya’s Consolation
पितृणां पुत्रपौत्राणां ज्ञातीनां सुहृदां तथा । गुरूणां चानुपूर्व्येण प्रेतकार्याणि कारय,“राजन! अब आप क्रमशः अपने चाचा, ताऊ, पुत्र, पौत्र, भाई-बन्धु, सुहृद् तथा गुरुजनोंके प्रेतकार्य सम्पन्न कराइये”
pitṝṇāṁ putrapautrāṇāṁ jñātīnāṁ suhṛdāṁ tathā | gurūṇāṁ cānupūrvyena pretakāryāṇi kāraya ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, have the funerary rites performed, in due order, for your fathers and forefathers, for sons and grandsons, for kinsmen and well-wishers, and also for your teachers.” The verse underscores the ethical necessity of honoring the dead—especially after catastrophic violence—by restoring social and spiritual order through prescribed rites.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid overwhelming grief and moral shock after war, dharma requires honoring the dead through proper funerary rites. Performing preta-kārya in due order affirms gratitude, responsibility, and the restoration of ethical and social balance.
Vaiśampāyana instructs the king to arrange the funerary rites sequentially for all categories of the departed—ancestors, descendants, relatives, friends, and teachers—reflecting the immediate post-war obligations in the Strī Parva context.