Shloka 25
Śrāddha Vidhi: Kāla (Timing), Pātra (Recipient), and Karma (Procedure) for Pitṛ-tarpaṇa and Piṇḍa
वाच्यतामिन्यनुज्ञातः पितृभ्यश्च स्वधोच्यताम् / विप्रैरस्तु स्वधेत्युक्तो भूमौ सिञ्चेत्ततो जलम्
vācyatāminyanujñātaḥ pitṛbhyaśca svadhocyatām / viprairastu svadhetyukto bhūmau siñcettato jalam
إذا أُذِن له بقولهم «ليُتْلَ»، فليُنطق حينئذٍ بصيغة «سفَدها» (svadhā) موجّهةً إلى الآباء (Pitṛ). وإذا قال البراهمة: «ليكن كذلك—سفَدها»، فليسكب بعد ذلك الماء على الأرض.
Lord Viṣṇu (in instruction to Garuḍa)
Ritual Type: Parvana
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: After svasti/akṣayya-udaka and dakṣiṇā; during svadhā-confirmation phase
Concept: Ritual efficacy depends on proper authorization (anujñā), correct svadhā formula, and the concluding water libation to earth.
Vedantic Theme: Discipline in karma-kāṇḍa as training of attention and humility; communal sanction reflects dharma as shared order.
Application: Wait for the officiants’ permission, pronounce svadhā addressed to Pitṛs, receive the confirming response, then pour water onto the ground as instructed.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: ritual-space
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.99.24: svadhā to be uttered after dakṣiṇā; 1.99.26: subsequent viśvedevas offering and blessings
FAQs
This verse treats “svadhā” as the key offering-formula addressed to the Pitṛs, marking the act as specifically ancestral and ritually valid.
It gives an order: receive permission to recite, utter “svadhā” for the Pitṛs, receive the brāhmaṇas’ assent (“astu svadhā”), and then pour water on the ground as the concluding offering-action.
If performing śrāddha or tarpaṇa, follow a clear, respectful sequence—invocation/permission, proper mantra, learned assent, and the water-offering—so the rite is done with care and intention.