Shloka 15
Varṇāśrama-ācāra, Aśauca (Sūtaka) Regulations, and Prāyaścitta with Funeral-Rite Notes
अजातदन्ता ये बाला ये च गर्भाद्विनिः सृताः / न तेषामग्निसंस्कारो न पिण्डं नोदकक्रिया
ajātadantā ye bālā ye ca garbhādviniḥ sṛtāḥ / na teṣāmagnisaṃskāro na piṇḍaṃ nodakakriyā
പല്ലുകൾ ഇനിയും വന്നിട്ടില്ലാത്ത ശിശുക്കൾക്കും, ഗർഭത്തിൽ നിന്നുതന്നെ പുറത്തുവന്നവർക്കും (മൃതജനനം/ഗർഭപാതം) അഗ്നിസംസ്കാരം ഇല്ല; പിണ്ഡദാനം ഇല്ല; ഉദകക്രിയയും ഇല്ല.
Lord Viṣṇu (in instruction to Garuḍa/Vinatā-putra)
Timing: In cases of infant (toothless) death or stillbirth/miscarriage.
Concept: For infants without teeth and for stillborn/miscarried, standard funerary fire-rite and offerings (piṇḍa, udaka-kriyā) are not prescribed.
Vedantic Theme: Ritual eligibility tied to embodied social entry (saṃskāra progression); dharma modulates rites to circumstance with compassion.
Application: Do not perform full antyeṣṭi/śrāddha procedures for such cases; follow the prescribed minimal handling and purity rules of one’s tradition.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: household/cremation-ground implied
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.107.16 on miscarriage and sūtaka duration; nearby rules on child death and exceptions
FAQs
This verse clarifies ritual eligibility: for toothless infants and those miscarried/stillborn, the text does not prescribe agni-saṃskāra (cremation rites), piṇḍa offerings, or udaka rites, distinguishing their ritual category from adults.
Indirectly, by stating that standard preta-oriented rites (piṇḍa and udaka) are not performed for these cases, it implies a different ritual handling and post-death framework than the common sequence associated with adult antyeṣṭi and śrāddha.
When faced with infant death or miscarriage, follow tradition-specific guidance from qualified priests and family sampradāya, recognizing that Garuda Purana here exempts such cases from standard cremation/śrāddha-style offerings.