Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 47
Yamamārga, Antyeṣṭi-vidhi, and Daśāhika Piṇḍa-dāna
Road to Yama and Ten-Day Offerings
चितामारोप्य तं प्रेतं हुनेदाज्याहुतिं ततः / यमाय चान्तकायेति मृत्यवे ब्रह्मणे तथा
citāmāropya taṃ pretaṃ hunedājyāhutiṃ tataḥ / yamāya cāntakāyeti mṛtyave brahmaṇe tathā
اس پریت کو چتا پر رکھ کر پھر گھی کی آہوتیاں دے؛ ‘یَمائے’ اور ‘اَنتَکائے’ کہہ کر، اسی طرح ‘مِرتْیَوے’ اور ‘برہْمَنے’ کو بھی نذر کرے۔
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vainateya)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Beneficiary: Preta (departed person)
Timing: At the time of placing the body on the pyre and beginning ājya-āhutis
Concept: Acknowledging cosmic order: death is governed by divine principles; offerings align the rite with those powers to secure proper passage.
Vedantic Theme: Acceptance of saṃsāra’s inevitability (mṛtyu-dharma) while performing ordained karma; surrender of outcomes to cosmic law.
Application: During cremation, offer ājya oblations with invocations to Yama, Antaka, Mṛtyu, and Brahmā as prescribed, maintaining mantra accuracy.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: shmashana (funeral pyre)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana passages describing Yama’s jurisdiction and the preta’s onward journey; Garuda Purana antyeṣṭi mantras and āhuti sequences
FAQs
This verse frames ājya-āhuti (ghee offerings) during cremation as a directed ritual invocation to Yama (and death-aspects), aligning the rite with the deceased’s post-death transition and the cosmic order administered by Yama.
By explicitly calling the deceased a “preta” and prescribing invocations to Yama/Antaka/Mṛtyu, the verse situates cremation as the threshold where the departed enters the post-mortem jurisdiction associated with Yama and the forces of death.
If one follows traditional antyeṣṭi, perform cremation rites with mindful, respectful invocations and offerings as prescribed; ethically, it emphasizes duty (dharma) toward the deceased and reverence for the inevitability of death.