Kanda 18
Funeral Rites & Ancestors
ଅଥର୍ବବେଦର କାଣ୍ଡ ୧୮ ହେଉଛି ବେଦର ମହା ଅନ୍ତ୍ୟେଷ୍ଟି (ଶବସଂସ୍କାର) ସଂଗ୍ରହ; ଏହା ମନ୍ତ୍ର, ଆହୁତି ଓ ପିତୃ-ସମନ୍ୱୟ ମାଧ୍ୟମରେ ମୃତକଙ୍କୁ ମୃତ୍ୟୁର ସୀମାନ୍ତିକ ଭୟ/ଅଶୁଭତାରୁ ପିତୃମାନଙ୍କର ସୁସଂଗଠିତ ଲୋକକୁ ନେଇଯାଏ। ଏହାର ଚାରିଟି ସୂକ୍ତ—ପ୍ରାୟତଃ ପିତୃମେଧ/ଦାହକ୍ରିୟା କ୍ରମ ସହ ସଂପୃକ୍ତ—ଦେହର ବିଲୟ, ଅଗ୍ନିଙ୍କ ବାହନତ୍ୱ, ଏବଂ ଆତ୍ମାର ଅଗ୍ରଗତିକୁ ଋତ ସହ ବାନ୍ଧିଦିଏ, ଯାହାଦ୍ୱାରା ମୃତ୍ୟୁ ଏକ ରିତୁସମ୍ମତ ବୋଧଗମ୍ୟ ଗମନ ହୁଏ, ଭଙ୍ଗ ନୁହେଁ। ସୂକ୍ତଗୁଡ଼ିକ ପୁନଃପୁନଃ ପିତୃମାନଙ୍କୁ ଓ ଯମଙ୍କୁ ଆହ୍ୱାନ କରେ।
Anuvakas in Kanda 18
1 anuvakas (sections) to explore.
Frequently Asked Questions
Its purpose is Antyeṣṭi: to ritually guide the departed from death’s liminal danger to the ordered realm of the Pitṛs, while restoring śānti and stability for the living community.
Because they are oriented to offerings and invocations for the Fathers (Pitṛs), structuring the deceased’s transition into ancestorhood and establishing proper relations between descendants and the ancestral world.
Unlike many kāṇḍas that mix healing, prosperity, and apotropaic rites, Kāṇḍa 18 is unusually concentrated: a focused, liturgical corpus for funerary procedure, ancestral settlement, and post-funeral pacification anchored in ṛta.
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