Shloka 39

The Explanation of the Post-funeral Rites (Aurdhvadehika) and Related Matters

Devanagari script

शतार्धेन विहीनो यो मिलितः पङ्क्तिभाङ्न हि / चत्वारिंशत् तथैवाष्टश्राद्धं प्रेतत्वनाशनम्

Transliteration

śatārdhena vihīno yo militaḥ paṅktibhāṅna hi / catvāriṃśat tathaivāṣṭaśrāddhaṃ pretatvanāśanam

Translation

Aquele que não completou sequer metade da contagem prescrita, ainda que se sente na fileira do rito, não é tido como participante adequado. Do mesmo modo, ensina-se que o quadragésimo oitavo śrāddha é o rito que destrói o estado de preta (espírito inquieto do falecido).

Word by Word

• śata-ardhena: by/with a half-hundred (fifty)
• śata-ardhena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक) + ardha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचन (Instr. Sg.); तत्पुरुष: शतस्य अर्धेन

• vihīnaḥ: devoid (of)
• vihīnaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-hīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Nom. Sg.)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• militaḥ: joined/included
• militaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: mil (मिल् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘having joined/being included’

• paṅkti-bhāk: a participant in the (ancestral) row
• paṅkti-bhāk: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paṅkti (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāj (भाज् धातु/प्रातिपदिक-भाक्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: पङ्क्तेः भाक् (one who shares/partakes in the row)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/हेतौ (indeed/for)

• catvāriṃśat: forty
• catvāriṃśat: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catvāriṃśat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या-विशेषण; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (indeclinable-like numeral), ‘forty’

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; ‘likewise’

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• aṣṭa-śrāddham: the eight-śrāddha set
• aṣṭa-śrāddham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; द्विगु: अष्टौ श्राद्धानि (set of eight śrāddhas)

• preta-tva-nāśanam: destroyer of the state of being a preta
• preta-tva-nāśanam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणार्थे)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक) + tva (त्व प्रत्यय) + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: प्रेतत्वस्य नाशनम्

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Ekoddishta

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Milestone count within the post-death śrāddha series; specifically the 48th śrāddha is highlighted.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ritual counts/qualifications matter; incomplete performance undermines eligibility; a specific śrāddha (48th) is declared to end preta-condition.

Vedantic Theme: Karma’s precision: saṃskāra and offering as causal instruments shaping post-mortem states within saṃsāra.

Application: Track completion of prescribed śrāddhas; ensure the designated milestone rite (here, the 48th) is performed to support preta-śānti and onward transition.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: preta-lakṣaṇa and preta-śānti discussions; sapīṇḍīkaraṇa-related milestones (contextual)

Characters & Entities

• Pretas
• Pitris

FAQs

What is the importance of the forty-eighth śrāddha in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that the forty-eighth śrāddha is specifically regarded as “pretatva-nāśana,” a rite aimed at ending the preta-condition of the departed and stabilizing the transition toward the Pitṛ-state.

How does this verse explain ritual eligibility (paṅkti) in śrāddha ceremonies?

It indicates that merely sitting in the ritual row is not enough; a person deficient in the required qualification/measure (here described as lacking even half of the prescribed count) is not considered a rightful paṅkti participant, emphasizing procedural purity in śrāddha.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform śrāddha with care for proper procedure and qualified participation, and treat post-death rites as acts of responsibility (dharma) meant to bring peace to the departed rather than as mere social formality.