TEXT 29
sri-suka uvaca
svanam vibhisanas cakre
kosalendranumoditah
pitr-medha-vidhanena
yad uktam samparayikam
SYNONYMS
sri-sukah uvacaSri Sukadeva Gosvami said; svanamof his own family members; vibhisanahVibhisana, the brother of Ravana and devotee of Lord Ramacandra; cakreexecuted; kosala-indra-anumoditahapproved by the King of Kosala, Lord Ramacandra; pitr-medha-vidhanenaby the funeral ceremony performed by the son after the death of his father or some family member; yat uktamwhich have been prescribed; samparayikamduties to be performed after a persons death to save him from the path to hell.
TRANSLATION
Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: Vibhisana, the pious brother of Ravana and devotee of Lord Ramacandra, received approval from Lord Ramacandra, the King of Kosala. Then he performed the prescribed funeral ceremonies for his family members to save them from the path to hell.
PURPORT
After giving up the body, one is transferred to another body, but sometimes, if one is too sinful, he is checked from transmigrating to another body, and thus he becomes a ghost. To save a diseased person from ghostly life, the funeral ceremony, or sraddha ceremony, as prescribed in authorized sastra, must be performed. Ravana was killed by Lord Ramacandra and was destined for hellish life, but by Lord Ramacandras advice, Vibhisana, Ravanas brother, performed all the duties prescribed in relation to the dead. Thus Lord Ramacandra was kind to Ravana even after Ravanas death.

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