Varaha Purana 13.38: Adhyaya 13, Shloka 38

The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times

Devanagari script

अमावास्या यदा आर्द्राविशाखास्वातियोगिनो । श्राद्धैः पितृगणस्तृप्तिं तदाप्नोत्यष्टवार्षिकीम् ॥ १३.३८ ॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 13.38

Transliteration

amāvāsyā yadā ārdrāviśākhāsvātiyogino | śrāddhaiḥ pitṛgaṇas tṛptiṃ tadāpnoty aṣṭavārṣikīm || 13.38 ||

Translation

إذا وافق يوم الأَمَاوَاسْيَا (amāvāsyā) منازلَ القمر: آردرا (Ārdrā) أو فيشاخا (Viśākhā) أو سْفاتي (Svātī)، فإن جماعة الأسلاف (pitṛ-gaṇa) تنال بالقرابين في الشرادها رضاً يدوم ثماني سنين.

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Word by Word

• amāvāsyā: new-moon day
• amāvāsyā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amāvāsyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• yadā: when
• yadā: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable (अव्यय); temporal adverb (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण)

• ārdrā-viśākhā-svāti-yoginaḥ: (when it is) in conjunction with Ārdrā, Viśākhā, and Svātī (nakṣatras)
• ārdrā-viśākhā-svāti-yoginaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ārdrā (प्रातिपदिक) + viśākhā (प्रातिपदिक) + svāti (प्रातिपदिक) + yogin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); समासः—आर्द्राविशाखास्वातिभिः योगः यस्य/येषां ते इति (योगिन्-शब्दः) तत्पुरुषसमासः; amāvāsyā-विशेषणम्

• śrāddhaiḥ: by śrāddha rites
• śrāddhaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• pitṛ-gaṇaḥ: the group of ancestors
• pitṛ-gaṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); समासः—पितॄणां गणः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• tṛptim: satisfaction
• tṛptim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tṛpti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable (अव्यय); temporal adverb (कालवाचक)

• āpnoti: attains/obtains
• āpnoti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (आप् धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• aṣṭa-vārṣikīm: eight-year (lasting)
• aṣṭa-vārṣikīm: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + vārṣikī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); द्विगुसमासः—अष्ट (संख्या) + वार्षिकी; tṛptim-विशेषणम्

Speaker

Varāha (default instructor voice in Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue framework)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Dharma-śāstra Interface
• Ritual Calendrics

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a Purāṇic synthesis of ritual practice with calendrical astronomy (nakṣatra-based timing), illustrating how medieval Sanskrit traditions systematized ancestral rites (śrāddha) within a broader cultural-legal framework.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific geographic site is named in this verse; it focuses on temporal markers (amāvāsyā and nakṣatras) rather than sacred geography.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse emphasizes responsible remembrance and care for ancestors through properly timed, culturally sanctioned rites—an ethic of intergenerational duty expressed via ritual observance.