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Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 7

Akalamṛtyu-kāraṇa and Bāla Antyeṣṭi: Age-graded Funeral Rites, Śrāddha Types, and Sonship Duties

Devanagari script

भूमौ विनिः क्षिपेद्बालं द्विमासोनं द्विवार्षिकम् / ततः परं खगश्रेष्ठ देहदाहो विधोयते

Transliteration

bhūmau viniḥ kṣipedbālaṃ dvimāsonaṃ dvivārṣikam / tataḥ paraṃ khagaśreṣṭha dehadāho vidhoyate

Translation

Đứa trẻ dưới hai tháng, và cả trẻ cho đến hai tuổi, nên giao phó cho đất (mai táng). Sau độ tuổi ấy, hỡi bậc tối thắng trong loài chim (Garuda), nghi thức thiêu thân (hỏa táng) được quy định.

Word by Word
भूमौon the ground
भूमौ:
Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootभूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन
विनिःapart/away (i.e., separately)
विनिः:
Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootविनिः (अव्यय)
Formउपसर्गसदृश-अव्यय/क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: apart/away; used with verb)
क्षिपेत्should throw/place
क्षिपेत्:
Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√क्षिप् (धातु)
Formविधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद
बालम्the child
बालम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootबाल (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन
द्विमासोनम्less than two months (old)
द्विमासोनम्:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootद्वि + मास + ऊन (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—द्वौ मासौ (द्विगु) + ऊनम् (तत्पुरुष: two-months-less)
द्विवार्षिकम्two-year-old
द्विवार्षिकम्:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootद्वि + वार्षिक (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (द्वौ वर्षौ यस्य/पर्यन्तम्—two-year-old)
ततःthereafter
ततः:
Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootततः (अव्यय)
Formतस्मात्-प्रभव-अव्यय (adverb: thereafter/from that)
परम्after that/further
परम्:
Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootपर (प्रातिपदिक)
Formक्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb: further/afterwards)
खगश्रेष्ठO best of birds
खगश्रेष्ठ:
Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootखग + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः—खगानां श्रेष्ठः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)
देहदाहःburning/cremation of the body
देहदाहः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootदेह + दाह (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—देहस्य दाहः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)
विधोयतेis performed/ordained
विधोयते:
Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√धा (धातु) (वि + धा)
Formलट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense: is performed)
Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda)

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Age-based: under two months and up to two years (burial); after that (cremation)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Age-based antyeṣṭi: burial for infants/very young children; cremation prescribed after a defined threshold.

Vedantic Theme: Saṃskāra as dharmic ordering of impermanence; elements (bhūmi/agni) as vehicles of dissolution.

Application: Follow local śāstric and community rules: for very young children, burial; for older than the threshold, cremation—performed with due purity and guidance.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: burial ground / cremation ground (śmaśāna)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana antyeṣṭi rules on bāla-dāha vs bhūmi-samarpana; Garuda Purana age thresholds for saṃskāras and śauca

Characters & Entities
G
Garuda

FAQs

It states that very young children (under two months, and up to two years) should be buried, while cremation is prescribed after that age.

It gives an age-based rule within antyeṣṭi practice, distinguishing burial for very young children from cremation for those older, as part of dharma-based ritual procedure.

When performing last rites, follow age-appropriate and community-accepted śāstric guidelines, consulting qualified priests/elders so the rites align with dharma and family tradition.

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