Shloka 8
Tarpaṇa-vidhi (Rite of Water-libations) for Devas and Pitṛs
ये चास्माकं कुले जाता अपुत्रा गोत्रिणो मृताः / ते तृप्यन्तु मया दत्तं वस्त्रनिष्पीडनोदकम्
ye cāsmākaṃ kule jātā aputrā gotriṇo mṛtāḥ / te tṛpyantu mayā dattaṃ vastraniṣpīḍanodakam
ہمارے کُل میں پیدا ہوئے، ایک ہی گوتر کے جو رشتہ دار بے اولاد (بے پُتر) ہو کر وفات پا گئے، وہ میرے پیش کیے ہوئے کپڑے سے نچوڑے گئے جل سے سیراب و مطمئن ہوں۔
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra, within the Garuda Purana dialogue frame)
Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni
Ritual Type: Parvana
Beneficiary: Pitr (gotra-kin aputrāḥ)
Timing: Within tarpaṇa/śrāddha sequence; can be appended as a special dedication
Concept: Communal responsibility: the living may ritually support those lacking descendants; compassion becomes dharma that repairs lineage discontinuities.
Vedantic Theme: Interdependence (saṅgha/vaṃśa) and the moral economy of karma expressed through dāna and śrāddha; alleviation of preta-need through prescribed acts.
Application: During tarpaṇa/śrāddha, explicitly dedicate offerings to neglected/sonless relatives of the same gotra; cultivate inclusive remembrance beyond direct ancestors.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: household śrāddha/tarpaṇa locus
Related Themes: Garuda Purana śrāddha passages on offerings for aputrāḥ and abandoned pretas (contextual parallels within Śrāddha-kalpa)
FAQs
This verse presents wrung-cloth water as a valid ritual offering meant to bring satisfaction (tṛpti) to departed relatives—especially those without sons—when performing remembrance and ancestral rites.
It explicitly includes sonless members of the same lineage/gotra among the beneficiaries of offerings, implying that ritual support from living relatives can extend beyond direct father–son lines.
During Shraddha/tarpana, one may consciously include departed gotra-relatives who lacked descendants, dedicating the offering with clear intention and respectful remembrance.