Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 9
Yamamārga, Antyeṣṭi-vidhi, and Daśāhika Piṇḍa-dāna
Road to Yama and Ten-Day Offerings
एका वक्त्रे तु दातव्या घ्राणयुग्मे तथा पुनः / अक्ष्णोश्च कर्णयोश्चैव द्वेद्वे देये यथाक्रमम्
ekā vaktre tu dātavyā ghrāṇayugme tathā punaḥ / akṣṇośca karṇayoścaiva dvedve deye yathākramam
منہ کو ایک نذر دی جائے، اور پھر دونوں نتھنوں کو بھی۔ آنکھوں اور کانوں کے لیے بھی ترتیب کے ساتھ دو دو نذریں بطریقِ ودھی دی جائیں۔
Lord Vishnu
Beneficiary: Preta (departed individual)
Timing: Immediately around death as part of antyeṣṭi preliminaries
Concept: Ritual attention to the sense-organs mirrors prāṇa and indriya withdrawal; ordered offerings support a peaceful transition.
Vedantic Theme: Indriya-nigraha/saṃhāra symbolism (senses returning inward) and the jīva’s separation from sensory apparatus.
Application: Make prescribed offerings in sequence: one to the mouth, one to the nostrils (pair), and two each to eyes and ears, as directed by the rite.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: household ritual space
Related Themes: Garuda Purana procedural lists for deathbed rites involving sense-gates and prāṇa-related placements; Garuda Purana instructions on orderly sequencing (yathākramam) in antyeṣṭi
FAQs
This verse prescribes a precise sequence of offerings directed to the mouth, nostrils, eyes, and ears, indicating that rites are performed methodically to support the preta’s subtle faculties during the post-death transition.
By mapping offerings to specific organs, the verse reflects the Garuda Purana’s view that the departed continues in a subtle condition where functional capacities are ritually aided, preparing the being for onward movement in the after-death journey.
Perform funeral rites with accuracy and reverence—following prescribed order and intention—while also cultivating ethical living, since the tradition links post-death welfare with both ritual support and dharmic conduct.