Garuda Purana

स्त्रियः पुनन्तु म शिर इमं मे वरुणेन च । प्रेतस्य पावनं कृत्वा शालग्रामशिलोदकैः

Let women purify this head for me, and also with Varuṇa; having purified the departed with water from the śālagrāma stone.

विष्णुमुद्दिश्य दातव्या सुशीला गौः पयस्विनी । तिला लौहं हिरण्यञ्च कर्पासं लवणं तथा

A virtuous and milch cow should be given, dedicated to Viṣṇu, along with sesame, iron, gold, cotton, and salt.

सप्तधान्यं क्षितिर्गाव एकैकं पावनं स्मृतम् । तिलपात्रं ततो दद्यात्पददानं तथैव च

Seven kinds of grain, earth, and cows—each is considered purifying; then one should give a vessel of sesame and likewise the gift of feet.

कर्तव्यं वैष्णवं श्राद्धं प्रेतमुक्त्यर्थमात्मनः । प्रेतमोक्षं ततः कुर्याद्धृदि विष्णुं प्रकल्प्यच

A Vaiṣṇava śrāddha should be performed for the release of the departed; then, having fixed Viṣṇu in the heart, one should effect liberation for the departed.

एवं पुत्तलकं कृत्वा दाहयेद्विधिपूर्वकम् । तच्छ्रुद्धये तु संस्कर्ता पुत्रादिर्निष्कृतिं चरेत्

Thus, having made the effigy, it should be burned according to the prescribed rite; for its purification, the son or other relative should perform the expiation.

त्रीन्कृच्छ्रान्षड्द्वादश च तथा पञ्चदशापि च । प्रायश्चित्तनिमित्तानुसारेण विप्रवत्स्मृतः

Three, six, twelve, and also fifteen—these are said to be the expiations for a Brahmin, according to the cause for penance.

अशक्तौ गोहिरण्यादि प्रत्याम्नायं चरेदपि । आत्मनोऽनधिकारित्वे शुद्धिमेवं चरेद्वुन्धः

If unable to offer a cow, gold, or similar, one should perform the prescribed rite; if one is not qualified, one should seek purification in this way.

अशुद्धेन तु यद्दत्तमुद्दिश्याशुद्धिमेव च । नोपतिष्ठति तत्सर्वमन्तरिक्षे विनश्यति

Whatever is given by one who is impure, or intended for purification but not pure, does not take effect; all of it perishes in the intermediate space.

शुद्धिं सम्पाद्य कर्तव्यं दहनाद्यौर्ध्वदेहिकम् । अकृत्वा निष्कृतिं यस्तु कुरुते दहनादिकम्

Having attained purity, one should perform the cremation and other post-death rites; but if one does so without atonement, the act is fruitless.

मतिपूर्वममत्या च क्रमात्तनिष्कृतिं शृणु । कृत्वाग्निमुदकं स्नानं स्पर्शनं वहनं कथाम्

Hear now, in order, the expiation to be performed with discernment and without; after making fire, offering water, bathing, touching, carrying, and reciting the narrative.

रज्जुच्छेदाश्रुपातञ्च तप्तकृच्छ्रेण शुध्यति । एषामन्यतमं प्रेतं यो वहेत्तु देहत वा

By cutting the rope, shedding tears, or through the heated penance, one is purified; whoever carries a corpse, by any of these means, is cleansed.

कटोदकक्रियां कृत्वा कृच्छ्र सान्तपनं चरेत् । निमित्ते लघुनि स्वल्पं महन्महति कल्पयेत्

After performing the water-rite for the deceased, one should undertake the penance called kṛcchra sāntapana; for a minor cause, a small penance, for a major, a great one is prescribed.

गरुड उवाच । कृच्छ्रस्य तप्तकृच्छ्रस्य तथा सान्तपनस्य च । लक्षणं ब्रूहि मे स्वामिंस्त्रयाणामपि सुव्रत

Garuda said: O virtuous one, tell me the characteristics of kṛcchra, taptakṛcchra, and sāntapana, all three, O master.

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच । त्र्यहं प्रातस्त्र्यहं सायं त्र्यहमद्यादयाचितम् । उपवासस्त्र्यहञ्चैव एष कृच्छ्र उदाहृतः

Śrī Krishna said: For three days in the morning, three days in the evening, and three days subsisting on begged food, and three days fasting—this is called kṛcchra.

तप्तक्षीरघृताम्बूनामेकैकं प्रत्यहं पिबेत् । एकरात्रोपवासश्च तप्तकृच्छ्र उदाहृतः

One should drink, each day, hot milk, ghee, and water, one each; and fast for one night—this is called taptakṛcchra.

गोमूत्रं गोमयं क्षीरं दधि सर्पिः कुशोदकम् । जग्ध्वा परेऽह्न्युपवसेत्कृच्छ्रं सान्तपनञ्चरन्

Having consumed cow urine, dung, milk, curd, ghee, and water touched by kuśa grass, one should fast the next day—this is the sāntapana penance.

मया तेऽयं समाख्यातो दुर्मृतस्य विधिः खग । तदा मृतं विजानीयाद्दीपनिर्वाणमागतः

I have now explained to you, O bird, the procedure for one who dies improperly; know that a person is dead when the lamp has gone out.

अग्निदाहं ततः कुर्यात्सूतकञ्च दिनत्रयम् । दशाहं गर्तपिणाडञ्च कर्तव्यं प्रेतपूर्वकम्

Then one should perform cremation and observe impurity for three days; the ten-day period and the pit for the body should be observed as for the dead.

एवं विधिं ततः कुर्यात्ततः प्रेतश्च मुक्तिभाक् । मृतभ्रान्त्या प्रतिकृतेः कृते दाहे स वै यदि

Thus should the rite be performed; then the deceased attains liberation. If, by mistake, the rite is performed for one not dead, and cremation is done—

आयाति तेन कर्तव्यं मज्जनं घृकुण्डके । जातकर्मादिसंस्काराः कर्तव्याः पुनरेव तु

Then one must bathe in a ghṛkuṇḍa vessel; and the birth and other sacraments must be performed again.

ऊढामेव स्वकां भार्यामुद्वहेद्विधिवत्पुमान् । वर्षे पञ्चदशे पक्षिन् द्वादशे वा गते सति

A man should remarry his own wife according to rule, O bird, in the fifteenth year, or after twelve years have passed.

अज्ञातस्य प्रोषितस्य कृत्वा प्रतिकृतिं दहेत् । रजस्वलासूतिकयोर्विशेषं मरणे शृणु

For one unknown or gone abroad, after making an effigy, it should be cremated; now hear the distinction in the death of a menstruating woman or one in childbirth.

सूतिकायां मृतायान्तु एवं कुर्वन्ति याज्ञिकाः । कुम्भे सलिलमादाय पञ्चगव्यं तथैव च

When a woman dies in childbirth, the ritualists perform thus: taking water in a pot, and also the five products of the cow.

पुण्याभिरभिमन्त्र्यापो वाचा शुद्धिं लभेत्ततः । शतसूर्पोदकेनादौ स्नापयित्वा यथाविधि

After sanctifying the water with auspicious mantras, one should attain purity through speech; then, first, the body should be bathed properly with water from a hundred pots.

तेनैव स्नापयित्वा तु दाहं कुर्यात्स्वगेश्वर । पञ्चभिः स्नापयित्वा तु गव्यैः प्रेतां रजस्वलाम्

Having bathed the body in this way, the cremation should be performed by the head of the family; after bathing with five products of the cow, the bodies of the deceased and menstruating women should be purified.

वस्त्रान्तराकृतिं कृत्वा दाहयेद्विधिपूर्वकम् । मृतस्य पञ्चके दाहविधिं वच्मि शृणुष्व मे

After making an effigy out of cloth, it should be burned according to the prescribed procedure; now I will explain the rules for cremation during the five nakṣatras—listen to me.

आदौ कृत्वा धनिष्ठार्धमेतन्नक्षत्रपञ्चकम् । रेवत्यन्तं सदा दूष्यमशुभं सर्वदा भवेत्

First, having marked half of Dhaniṣṭhā, this group of five nakṣatras up to Revati is always considered inauspicious and should always be avoided.

दाहस्तत्र न कर्तव्यो विषादः सर्वजन्तुषु । न जलं दीयते तेषु अशुभं सर्वदा भवेत्

Cremation should not be performed during that period; grief arises among all beings, water should not be offered then, and it is always considered inauspicious.

पञ्चकानन्तरं सर्वं कार्यं कर्तव्यमन्यथा । पुत्त्राणां गोत्रिणां तस्य सन्तापोऽप्युपजायते

All rites should be performed after the five nakṣatras have passed; otherwise, suffering will arise even for the sons and relatives of the deceased.