Garuda Purana — Preta Kalpa, Shloka 39

The Explanation of the Post-funeral Rites (Aurdhvadehika) and Related Matters

Devanagari script

शतार्धेन विहीनो यो मिलितः पङ्क्तिभाङ्न हि / चत्वारिंशत् तथैवाष्टश्राद्धं प्रेतत्वनाशनम्

Transliteration

śatārdhena vihīno yo militaḥ paṅktibhāṅna hi / catvāriṃśat tathaivāṣṭaśrāddhaṃ pretatvanāśanam

Translation

Người nào chưa hoàn tất dù chỉ một nửa số lượng được quy định, dẫu có ngồi trong hàng dự lễ, cũng không được xem là người dự phần đúng pháp. Cũng vậy, lễ śrāddha thứ bốn mươi tám được dạy là nghi thức tiêu trừ trạng thái làm preta (vong linh bất an).

Word by Word

• śata-ardhena: by/with a half-hundred (fifty)
• śata-ardhena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक) + ardha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचन (Instr. Sg.); तत्पुरुष: शतस्य अर्धेन

• vihīnaḥ: devoid (of)
• vihīnaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-hīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Nom. Sg.)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• militaḥ: joined/included
• militaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: mil (मिल् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘having joined/being included’

• paṅkti-bhāk: a participant in the (ancestral) row
• paṅkti-bhāk: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paṅkti (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāj (भाज् धातु/प्रातिपदिक-भाक्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: पङ्क्तेः भाक् (one who shares/partakes in the row)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/हेतौ (indeed/for)

• catvāriṃśat: forty
• catvāriṃśat: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catvāriṃśat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या-विशेषण; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (indeclinable-like numeral), ‘forty’

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; ‘likewise’

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• aṣṭa-śrāddham: the eight-śrāddha set
• aṣṭa-śrāddham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; द्विगु: अष्टौ श्राद्धानि (set of eight śrāddhas)

• preta-tva-nāśanam: destroyer of the state of being a preta
• preta-tva-nāśanam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणार्थे)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक) + tva (त्व प्रत्यय) + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: प्रेतत्वस्य नाशनम्

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Pretayoni

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Ekoddishta

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Milestone count within the post-death śrāddha series; specifically the 48th śrāddha is highlighted.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ritual counts/qualifications matter; incomplete performance undermines eligibility; a specific śrāddha (48th) is declared to end preta-condition.

Vedantic Theme: Karma’s precision: saṃskāra and offering as causal instruments shaping post-mortem states within saṃsāra.

Application: Track completion of prescribed śrāddhas; ensure the designated milestone rite (here, the 48th) is performed to support preta-śānti and onward transition.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: preta-lakṣaṇa and preta-śānti discussions; sapīṇḍīkaraṇa-related milestones (contextual)

Characters & Entities

• Pretas
• Pitris

FAQs

What is the importance of the forty-eighth śrāddha in the Garuda Purana?

This verse states that the forty-eighth śrāddha is specifically regarded as “pretatva-nāśana,” a rite aimed at ending the preta-condition of the departed and stabilizing the transition toward the Pitṛ-state.

How does this verse explain ritual eligibility (paṅkti) in śrāddha ceremonies?

It indicates that merely sitting in the ritual row is not enough; a person deficient in the required qualification/measure (here described as lacking even half of the prescribed count) is not considered a rightful paṅkti participant, emphasizing procedural purity in śrāddha.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform śrāddha with care for proper procedure and qualified participation, and treat post-death rites as acts of responsibility (dharma) meant to bring peace to the departed rather than as mere social formality.