Shloka 6

Sūtaka-Nirṇaya: Causes, Duration, Exceptions, and Purification Protocols

Devanagari script

आमगर्भाश्च ये जीवा ये च गर्भाद्विनिः सृताः / न तेषामग्निसंस्कारो नाशौचं नोदकक्रिया

Transliteration

āmagarbhāśca ye jīvā ye ca garbhādviniḥ sṛtāḥ / na teṣāmagnisaṃskāro nāśaucaṃ nodakakriyā

Translation

Đối với những sinh linh bị tống ra khỏi thai khi còn chưa thành hình, và những trường hợp sẩy thai non tháng, thì không có lễ hỏa táng thánh hóa (agni-saṃskāra); cũng không có thời kỳ bất tịnh (aśauca), và không cử hành nghi thức dâng nước (odaka-kriyā) cho họ.

Word by Word

आम-गर्भाः(those who are) unformed fetuses

चand

येwho

जीवाःbeings

येwho

चand

गर्भात्from the womb

विनिःसृताः(those) expelled/come out

नnot

तेषाम्of them

अग्नि-संस्कारःfire-rite/cremation rite

नnot

अशौचम्impurity (period)

नnor

उदक-क्रियाwater-rite (libations etc.)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Shraddha Ritual

Timing: Not applicable as a rite; the verse explicitly negates udaka-kriyā and aśauca for these cases.

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: For unformed expulsions and premature slips from the womb, no cremation consecration, no aśauca, and no water-rites are prescribed.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma differentiates saṃskāra by embodied status/eligibility; ritual action is not merely emotion-driven but rule-governed.

Application: In cases of miscarriage/very premature expulsion as defined by tradition, do not perform full antyeṣṭi/udaka-kriyā; follow the prescribed minimal purity steps per one’s śākhā/smṛti guidance.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: household/cremation context (negated)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana: gradations of aśauca and antyeṣṭi eligibility

Characters & Entities

Agni

Garbha

Jiva

FAQs

What does this Garuda Purana verse say about death rituals for miscarriage or premature expulsion from the womb?

It states that for an unformed fetus or a being expelled prematurely from the womb, the standard funeral rites—cremation (agni-saṃskāra), mourning impurity (aśauca), and water offerings (udaka-kriyā)—are not prescribed.

How does this verse relate to the soul’s journey after death in the Garuda Purana?

By exempting such cases from full post-death rites, the text distinguishes categories of embodied existence and indicates that not every departure is treated as a complete, socially ritualized transition into the preta-related sequence described elsewhere in the Preta Kanda.

Practical application of this teaching today in Hindu funeral practice?

It supports the principle that rites and mourning rules are applied proportionately and according to śāstra-based categories; families may consult tradition and learned guidance to avoid imposing full cremation/udaka rites and extended aśauca where this verse indicates exemption.