Devanagari
कुरु त्वं प्रेतकृत्यानि पितु: पूतस्य सर्वश: ।
मदङ्गस्पर्शनेनाङ्ग लोकान्यास्यति सुप्रजा: ॥ २२ ॥
Verse text
kuru tvaṁ preta-kṛtyāni
pituḥ pūtasya sarvaśaḥ
mad-aṅga-sparśanenāṅga
lokān yāsyati suprajāḥ
Synonyms
kuru
—
perform
;
tvam
—
you
;
preta
—
kṛtyāni — the ritualistic ceremony performed after death
;
pituḥ
—
of your father
;
pūtasya
—
already purified
;
sarvaśaḥ
—
in all respects
;
mat
—
aṅga — My body
;
sparśanena
—
by touching
;
aṅga
—
My dear child
;
lokān
—
to planets
;
yāsyati
—
he will be elevated
;
su
—
prajāḥ — to become a devotee-citizen .
Translation
My dear child, your father has already been purified just by the touch of My body at the time of his death. Nonetheless, the duty of a son is to perform the śrāddha ritualistic ceremony after his father’s death so that his father may be promoted to a planetary system where he may become a good citizen and devotee.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
My dear child! Perform the funeral rites for your father, already purified completely by the touch of my body. Having the best son, he will achieve the best planets.
Since your father has been purified by the touch of my body, do not fear for his sins. But do the funeral rites simply for maintaining custom.
Purport
In this regard, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that although Hiraṇyakaśipu was already purified, he had to take birth on a higher planetary system to become a devotee again. Prahlāda Mahārāja was advised to perform the ritualistic ceremony as a matter of etiquette, for the Supreme Personality of Godhead under no circumstances wants to stop the regulative principles. Madhva Muni also instructs:
madhu-kaiṭabhau bhakty-abhāvā
dūrau bhagavato mṛtau
tama eva kramād āptau
bhaktyā ced yo hariṁ yayau
When the demons Madhu and Kaiṭabha were killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, their kinsmen also observed the ritualistic ceremonies so that these demons could return home, back to Godhead.