Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 31
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
अत्र यस्त्वन्तिम: पिण्डो गच्छते जातवेदसम्
atra yas tv antimaḥ piṇḍo gacchate jātavedasam
Dito, ang huling handog na piṇḍa ay inihahatid kay Jātavedas—si Agni, ang apoy na nagdadala ng mga alay—na tanda ng pagwawakas ng huling ritwal, kung saan ang yumao ay ipinagkakatiwala sa banal na kaayusan at ang mga buhay ay tumutupad sa kanilang dharma sa mga patay.
देवदूत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores pitṛ-dharma: completing the final offering and entrusting it to Agni symbolizes the ethical duty of the living to perform proper last rites, ensuring ritual completeness and honoring the departed within the cosmic order.
A divine messenger (devadūta) describes a specific point in the funerary/śrāddha sequence: the ‘last piṇḍa’ is said to reach Jātavedas (Agni), marking the culmination of the offering as it is transferred through fire to the intended sacred recipients.