Shloka 37
Āyuḥ-kṣaya by Vikarma; Impermanence of the Body; Aśauca and Child Śrāddha Procedures; Dāna as Remedy
तस्य किञ्चिन्न कर्तव्यमात्मनः श्रेय इच्छता / ततो जाते विपन्ने तु आ चूडाकरणाच्छिशोः
tasya kiñcinna kartavyamātmanaḥ śreya icchatā / tato jāte vipanne tu ā cūḍākaraṇācchiśoḥ
Bagi orang yang menghendaki kebaikan tertinggi bagi dirinya, tiada apa-apa yang patut dilakukan dalam hal itu. Namun jika selepas itu seorang anak lahir lalu meninggal, maka amalan yang ditetapkan hendaklah dilakukan hingga upacara cūḍākaraṇa (cukur rambut pertama) si anak.
Lord Vishnu
Concept: Ritual obligations differ by developmental stage; for one seeking śreyas, certain actions are withheld, but if a child is born and dies, observances apply up to the cūḍākaraṇa boundary.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma as context-sensitive (deśa-kāla-vayaḥ); right restraint (nivṛtti in action) can itself be dharma.
Application: Follow age/saṃskāra-based rules for mourning and rites; avoid over-ritualizing where śāstra advises restraint.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: household
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 2.24.36–39 (aśauca and child-death rites by age thresholds)
FAQs
This verse uses cūḍākaraṇa as a boundary-marker for child-related saṁskāras, indicating how far ritual obligations are considered applicable when a child is born but dies prematurely.
It frames ritual duty in terms of śreyas (spiritual welfare) and then clarifies a special case—birth followed by death—where observances are discussed with reference to the child’s saṁskāras up to the tonsure rite.
When facing bereavement involving infants or young children, families can seek guidance from learned priests and tradition, using the saṁskāra framework (up to cūḍākaraṇa) to decide what is appropriate rather than acting from confusion or guilt.