The boar related a story to illustrate how offering one’s respects to one’s dead ancestors assures their health and happiness in the existence after death.

Kind Chandrasena and Queen Chandraprabha ruled in Mathura and Prabhavati was a maid at their court. Members of Prabhavati’s family were evil and never performed funeral ceremonies for their deceased relatives.

There was a holy place named Dhruvatirtha. A sage once encountered a person named Agasti there. Agasti was in a thin and emaciated state and look quite miserable. Agasti was in fact dead and was merely a spirit. There were several other dead people who had also gathered in Dhruvatirtha. Some of them looked happy and were full of blessings for their descendants on earth. They arrived at Dhruvatirtha in shining vimanas. Others like Agasti, were emaciated and arrived after a great deal of hardship. They cursed their descendants on earth because of the tortures they had to undergo in hell. They were suffering thus because of their descendant’s acts of omission.

Agasti explained to the sage that a funeral ceremony, performed well and with due respect, brought punya to the performer. It also helped the ancestor for whom the shraddha was being performed. In the absence of a funeral ceremony, the ancestors suffered. They also suffered if the sharaddha was performed irreverently or perfunctorily.