Shloka 3
Sūtaka-Nirṇaya: Causes, Duration, Exceptions, and Purification Protocols
उभयत्र दशाहानि कुलस्यान्नं विवर्जियेत् / दानं प्रतिग्रहो होमः स्वाध्यायश्च निवर्तते
ubhayatra daśāhāni kulasyānnaṃ vivarjiyet / dānaṃ pratigraho homaḥ svādhyāyaśca nivartate
उभयत्र दशाहानि कुलपाकान्नं परित्यजेत्; तावत्काले दानं प्रतिग्रहः होमः स्वाध्यायश्च निवर्तन्ते।
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda)
Ritual Type: Ekoddishta
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: Ten-day aśauca window (daśāha) during which certain rites are suspended.
Concept: During aśauca, certain acts (dāna, pratigraha, homa, svādhyāya) are paused; food discipline preserves ritual order.
Vedantic Theme: Adhikāra (eligibility) for sacred acts depends on śauca; dharma regulates conduct to support inner sattva.
Application: Observe the prescribed ten-day abstention from family-cooked food and pause formal ritual/recitation until purification is complete.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Type: household
Related Themes: Garuda Purana (Preta/Śrāddha sections): aśauca and śrāddha eligibility rules; Garuda Purana: duties of survivors during impurity period
FAQs
This verse states that for ten days certain dharmic acts—charity, accepting gifts, homa, and Vedic study—are paused, and the family’s cooked food is avoided, marking a defined mourning/impurity observance.
Indirectly, it sets the ritual and ethical boundaries for the living during the immediate post-death period, a time understood in the Preta Kanda as critical for orderly rites that support the departed’s transition.
Observe a focused mourning discipline: simplify daily religious routines as prescribed, avoid formal donations/acceptance and major ritual performances, and prioritize the appropriate post-death rites and family restraint for the stated period.