Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 36
Akalamṛtyu-kāraṇa and Bāla Antyeṣṭi: Age-graded Funeral Rites, Śrāddha Types, and Sonship Duties
कुर्वन्त्यन्ये सुताः श्राद्धमे कोद्दिष्टं न पार्वणम् / ब्राह्मोढाजस्तून्नयति संगृहीतस्त्वधो नयेत् / श्राद्धं सांवत्सरं कुर्वञ्जायते नरकाय वै
kurvantyanye sutāḥ śrāddhame koddiṣṭaṃ na pārvaṇam / brāhmoḍhājastūnnayati saṃgṛhītastvadho nayet / śrāddhaṃ sāṃvatsaraṃ kurvañjāyate narakāya vai
சில புத்ரர்கள் ஏகோத்திஷ்ட சிராத்தமே செய்து பார்வணத்தைச் செய்யார். பிராமணன் தவறாகத் தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்டால் அவன் கர்மத்தை உயர்த்துவான்; ஆனால் ‘சங்க்ரஹீத’ (அசுத்த/அயோக்ய) ஆனவன் அதைத் தாழ்த்துவான். ஆண்டுக்கு ஒருமுறை மட்டுமே சிராத்தம் செய்பவன் நிச்சயமாக நரகத்திற்குரியவன் ஆவான்.
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue instruction to Garuda/Vainateya)
Afterlife Stage: Naraka
Ritual Type: Ekoddishta
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: Annual-only performance criticized; proper schedule implied beyond once-yearly tokenism
Concept: Ritual action bears precise results: incomplete śrāddha (only ekoddiṣṭa), wrong officiant, or mere annual tokenism produces adverse karma and naraka-gati.
Vedantic Theme: Karma’s exactitude (yathā-kriyā tathā-phala) and the necessity of śuddhi/adhikāra; ritual as a disciplined means within pravṛtti-mārga.
Application: Learn the difference between ekoddiṣṭa and pārvaṇa; choose qualified priests; avoid reducing ancestral rites to minimal formalities.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: ritual space
Related Themes: Garuda Purana passages on narakas for neglect of śrāddha and on brāhmaṇa-eligibility in rites (general)
FAQs
This verse warns that doing only ekoddiṣṭa śrāddha while neglecting pārvaṇa śrāddha is considered a serious deficiency in pitṛ-kārya, leading to negative post-death consequences.
It states that an improperly chosen or confused officiant can distort the rite’s outcome: a fit Brahmin ‘raises’ the merit, while an unfit/tainted one causes the rite to ‘fall’—implying loss of benefit and adverse results.
Perform śrāddha with correct procedure (including the appropriate type, not merely annual formality) and engage a qualified, ritually fit priest—treating ancestral duties as dharma rather than a minimal obligation.