Shloka 14
Akalamṛtyu-kāraṇa and Bāla Antyeṣṭi: Age-graded Funeral Rites, Śrāddha Types, and Sonship Duties
यद्यद्यस्योपजीव्यं स्यात्तत्तद्देयमिहेच्छति / ब्रह्मबीजोद्भवाः पुत्रा देवर्षोणां च वल्लभाः
yadyadyasyopajīvyaṃ syāttattaddeyamihecchati / brahmabījodbhavāḥ putrā devarṣoṇāṃ ca vallabhāḥ
สรรพชีวิตเคยอาศัยสิ่งใดเลี้ยงชีพอยู่ในโลกนี้ ครั้นล่วงลับแล้วก็ปรารถนาให้มีการถวายสิ่งนั้นเป็นเครื่องบูชา ณ ที่นี้. บุตรผู้เกิดจากพีชะแห่งพระพรหม อันเป็นที่รักของเหล่าเทวฤๅษี สอนว่า พึงให้ทานและอุทิศตามนั้น.
Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: Post-death offerings during preta period (implied).
Concept: Offerings after death should correspond to what sustained the person in life; ritual giving is tailored to the departed’s needs/saṃskāra-context.
Vedantic Theme: Subtle continuity of vāsanā (residual desire) beyond death; dharmic action (dāna/śrāddha) addresses the preta’s condition without denying the soul’s separateness from the body.
Application: When performing śrāddha/offerings, include items aligned with the deceased’s customary sustenance (within dharmic bounds), emphasizing timely dāna and appropriate food/water offerings.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: general teaching that preta is sustained by offerings and desires persist post-mortem; Garuda Purana Śrāddha sections: tailoring piṇḍa/udaka and dāna to benefit the departed
FAQs
This verse states that the departed tends to desire offerings that correspond to what sustained him in life; hence śrāddha gifts should be appropriate and meaningful rather than random.
In the Preta Kanda context, it indicates the preta’s dependence on ritual support and the idea that offerings should match the departed’s lived dependencies (upajīvika), shaping what is ritually “received.”
When performing śrāddha or memorial charity, offer suitable food/gifts connected to the departed’s life and needs, and give with intention and dharmic conduct rather than mere formality.