Bhagavad Gita



ಸಂಕರೋ ನರಕಾಯೈವ ಕುಲಘ್ನಾನಾಂ ಕುಲಸ್ಯ ಚ ।
ಪತಂತಿ ಪಿತರೋ ಹ್ಯೇಷಾಂ ಲುಪ್ತಪಿಂಡೋದಕಕ್ರಿಯಾಃ ॥೪೨॥
saṃkaro narakāyaiva kulaghnānāṃ kulasya ca |
pataṃti pitaro hyeṣāṃ luptapiṃḍodakakriyāḥ ||42||

Sloka 1:42
Gist of the sloka:
These people who have destroyed their own society, will not offer the oblations due to the ancestors pushing them into hell.
Explanation:
These children born into such society will make the entire society fall into hell. So would those like us who were cause of such a situation. When the society is filled with such non-compliance to the dharma, the society loses its confidence. They will stop offering oblations [pinda] to the ancestors who will then fall into hell. Those who caused the situation in the first place and their children too would fall into hell. This is the gist of Arjuna’s thoughts.
Let us try to understand the concept behind ‘pinda’. We are right now in the gross [Anamaya] body and various ‘tatva abhimani demi-Gods’ [benevolent demigods] keep protecting us and helping us on our journey in this body. We therefore, while in gross body offer various poojas to them.
Death is nothing but release from this gross body but continuing in the subtle [Sukshma] body. We also have other bodies within subtle body known as ‘manomaya [mind] kosha and ‘prana kosha’. The body surrounding the soul is called ‘vijnanamaya’ [knowledge] kosha.
Once we have left the gross body, the responsibility is shifted to separate class of demi-Gods called ‘pithru’ devatas [demi-Gods]. The ‘pinda’ offering done after the passing away of the ancestor is to these devatas. The reason being, in case the ancestor’s progress has been hampered due to his ‘prarabdha’ [past or accumulated sins], then the prayer to these devatas is to protect him from such obstacles.
A non-gross body does not need gross energy/food to sustain. The presence of crow appearing and taking the pinda offering is an omen given by such devatas to us to indicate they have received and accepted our oblations. They in turn give the required blessings in whatever form our ancestor requires them irrespective where and what state they are in or born into.