718 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 18

TRANSLATION

The fortunate inhabitants of Pitrloka, who preside over the funeral cere-
monies, made Aryama into a calf. With great faith they milked kavya, food
offered to the ancestors, into an unbaked earthen pot.

PURPORT

In Bhagavad-gita it is said, pit?n yanti pitr-vratah. Those who are interested
in family welfare are called pity-vratah. There is a planet called Pitrloka, and
the predominating deity of that planet is called Aryama. He is somewhat of
a demigod, and by satisfying him one can help ghostly family members
develop a gross body. Those who are very sinful and attached to their
family, house, village or country do not receive a gross body made of
material elements but remain in a subtle body composed of mind, ego and
intelligence. Those who live in such subtle bodies are called ghosts. This
ghostly position is very painful because a ghost has intelligence, mind and
ego and wants to enjoy material life, but because he doesn’t have a gross
material body, he can only create disturbances for want of material
satisfaction. It is the duty of family members, especially the son, to offer
oblations to the demigod Aryama, or Lord Visnu. From time immemorial
in India the son of a dead man goes to Gaya and, at a Visnu temple there,
offers oblations for the benefit of his ghostly father. It is not that every-
one’s father becomes a ghost, but the oblations of pinda are offered to the
lotus feet of Lord Visnu so that if a family member happens to become a
ghost, he will be favored with a gross body. However, if one is habituated
to taking the prasada of Lord Visnu, there is no chance of his becoming
a ghost or anything lower than a human being. In Vedic civilization there
is a performance called sraddha by which food is offered with faith and
devotion. If one offers oblations with faith and devotion—either to the
lotus feet of Lord Visnu or to His representative in Pitrloka, Aryama—one’s
forefathers will attain material bodies to enjoy whatever material enjoy-
ment is due them. In other words, they do not have to become ghosts.

TEXT 19

THY Tet HTS SM: ATA |
fate aafa frat a 3a fraraceaa: 11281

prakalpya vatsam kapilam
siddhah sankalpanamayim
