Shloka 41

Matsya Purana — Śrāddha Procedure: Types

Devanagari script

ततः कृत्वान्तरे दद्यात् पत्नीभ्यो ऽन्नं कुशेषु सः तद्वत्पिण्डादिके कुर्याद् आवाहनविसर्जनम् //

Transliteration

tataḥ kṛtvāntare dadyāt patnībhyo 'nnaṃ kuśeṣu saḥ tadvatpiṇḍādike kuryād āvāhanavisarjanam //

Translation

ثمّ، بعد إحداث الفاصل اللائق بين القرابين، يضع حصص الطعام لزوجات الأسلاف المستحضَرين على عشب الكوشا. وكذلك في قرابين البِنْدَة (كرات الأرز) وما يتبعها، يُجري طقسيّ الاستدعاء (آڤاهانا) والتوديع/الإطلاق (ڤيسرجانا).

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter

• kṛtvā: having done/made

• antare: in the interval/between (offerings)

• dadyāt: he should give/offer

• patnībhyaḥ: to the wives

• annam: food

• kuśeṣu: on kuśa-grass (seats/blades)

• saḥ: he (the performer)

• tadvat: in the same manner

• piṇḍa-ādike: with the piṇḍa offerings etc. (ancillary offerings/acts)

• kuryāt: he should perform

• āvāhana: invocation/bringing near (ritual invitation)

• visarjanam: dismissal/sending away (ritual conclusion).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (teaching Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Kuśa grass
• Patnīs (wives of the Pitṛs/ancestors)
• Piṇḍa (rice-ball offering)
• Āvāhana
• Visarjana

Tags

• Śrāddha
• Pitṛs
• Gṛhastha Dharma
• Ritual Procedure
• Offerings

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

This verse does not address pralaya; it focuses on śrāddha ritual order—timed offerings, and the formal invitation and dismissal of ancestral presences.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

It gives a householder’s dharma: performing ancestral rites correctly—offering food (anna) and piṇḍa with proper sequencing and ritual protocol (āvāhana/visarjana), ensuring completeness and respect in śrāddha.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it highlights kuśa as the prescribed medium/seat for offerings and stresses procedural correctness: spacing the offerings and concluding with āvāhana (invocation) and visarjana (dismissal) for piṇḍa and related acts.