Shloka 1
On Untimely Death and the Explanation of Pleasure and Pain, Gain and Loss
Vṛṣotsarga and Preta-Uddhāra Rites
ऽपमृत्यौ सुखदुः खलाभालाभनिरूपणं नाम चत्वारिंशत्तमो ऽध्यायः श्रीविष्णुरुवाच / वृषोत्सर्गं प्रकुर्वीत विधिपूर्वं खगेश्वर / कार्तिकादिषु मासेषु पौर्णमास्यां शुभे दिने
'pamṛtyau sukhaduḥ khalābhālābhanirūpaṇaṃ nāma catvāriṃśattamo 'dhyāyaḥ śrīviṣṇuruvāca / vṛṣotsargaṃ prakurvīta vidhipūrvaṃ khageśvara / kārtikādiṣu māseṣu paurṇamāsyāṃ śubhe dine
‘اَپَمِرتیو، سُکھ-دُکھ اور لابھ-ہانی کی توضیح’ نامی اکتالیسواں باب۔ شری وِشنو نے فرمایا—اے خگیشور گرُڑ! وِدھی کے مطابق وِرشوتسرگ کرنا چاہیے؛ کارتک وغیرہ مہینوں میں کسی شُبھ دن، خصوصاً پُورنِما کو۔
Lord Vishnu
Ritual Type: Parvana
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: Kārtika (and other auspicious months), especially Paurṇimā; performed on a śubha-dina per muhūrta.
Concept: Apamṛtyu-śānti and life’s sukha-duḥkha/lābha-alābha are addressed through properly timed and correctly performed dharmic rites (vṛṣotsarga).
Vedantic Theme: Karma-phala governed by ṛta/dharma; ritual action as a means to harmonize adverse prārabdha and cultivate sattva and devotion.
Application: Perform vṛṣotsarga with correct procedure on auspicious lunar days (especially Paurṇimā) in sacred months like Kārtika; consult competent priests and follow local śāstric injunctions.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa/Dharmakanda sections on apamṛtyu-śānti and śrāddha auxiliaries; Adjacent verses 2.41.2–2.41.5 detailing Nāndīmukha/Agni/homa procedure
FAQs
This verse introduces vṛṣotsarga as a prescribed dharmic rite to be done properly on auspicious timings, presented as relevant to themes like apamṛtyu and the balancing of sukha–duḥkha and lābha–alābha.
Indirectly: it frames the chapter’s concern with post-death outcomes (pleasure/pain and gain/loss) and begins by prescribing a ritual act, implying that correct rites influence the deceased’s welfare and circumstances connected with death and its aftermath.
If observing traditional practice, perform charitable/ritual acts only with proper procedure and auspicious timing (e.g., Paurṇimā in Kārtika), and more broadly, treat dharmic discipline as a way to reduce avoidable suffering and cultivate beneficial outcomes.