Shloka 15
Varṇāśrama-ācāra, Aśauca (Sūtaka) Regulations, and Prāyaścitta with Funeral-Rite Notes
अजातदन्ता ये बाला ये च गर्भाद्विनिः सृताः / न तेषामग्निसंस्कारो न पिण्डं नोदकक्रिया
ajātadantā ye bālā ye ca garbhādviniḥ sṛtāḥ / na teṣāmagnisaṃskāro na piṇḍaṃ nodakakriyā
Đối với trẻ chưa mọc răng, và đối với những thai nhi trượt ra khỏi bụng mẹ (chết lưu hay sẩy thai), không có nghi lễ hỏa táng (agni-saṃskāra); cũng không có lễ dâng piṇḍa, và không có nghi thức nước (udaka-kriyā).
Lord Viṣṇu (in instruction to Garuḍa/Vinatā-putra)
Timing: In cases of infant (toothless) death or stillbirth/miscarriage.
Concept: For infants without teeth and for stillborn/miscarried, standard funerary fire-rite and offerings (piṇḍa, udaka-kriyā) are not prescribed.
Vedantic Theme: Ritual eligibility tied to embodied social entry (saṃskāra progression); dharma modulates rites to circumstance with compassion.
Application: Do not perform full antyeṣṭi/śrāddha procedures for such cases; follow the prescribed minimal handling and purity rules of one’s tradition.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: household/cremation-ground implied
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.107.16 on miscarriage and sūtaka duration; nearby rules on child death and exceptions
FAQs
This verse clarifies ritual eligibility: for toothless infants and those miscarried/stillborn, the text does not prescribe agni-saṃskāra (cremation rites), piṇḍa offerings, or udaka rites, distinguishing their ritual category from adults.
Indirectly, by stating that standard preta-oriented rites (piṇḍa and udaka) are not performed for these cases, it implies a different ritual handling and post-death framework than the common sequence associated with adult antyeṣṭi and śrāddha.
When faced with infant death or miscarriage, follow tradition-specific guidance from qualified priests and family sampradāya, recognizing that Garuda Purana here exempts such cases from standard cremation/śrāddha-style offerings.