Shloka 16

Nāndīmukha-śrāddha (Prosperity Rites), Preta-kriyā, Aśauca, Ekoddiṣṭa, and Sapiṇḍīkaraṇa Framework

Devanagari script

शय्यासनोपभोगश् च सपिण्डानाम् अपीष्यते भस्मास्थिचयनाद् ऊर्ध्वं संयोगो न तु योषिताम्

Transliteration

śayyāsanopabhogaś ca sapiṇḍānām apīṣyate bhasmāsthicayanād ūrdhvaṃ saṃyogo na tu yoṣitām

Translation

لذوي القرابة من السَّپِنْدَة يُعَدّ حتى استعمال الفراش والمقعد مُقَيَّدًا؛ غير أنّه بعد جمع الرماد والعظام تزول حالة الارتباط—وأمّا النساء فبحكم القاعدة لا يُعَدّ ذلك منقطعًا.

Word by Word

• śayyā-āsana-upabhogaḥ: bed, seat, and enjoyment (use)
• śayyā-āsana-upabhogaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śayyā (प्रातिपदिक) + āsana (प्रातिपदिक) + upabhoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्वः (collective copulative)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• sapiṇḍānām: of the sapinda relatives
• sapiṇḍānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sapiṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक निपात (particle: also/even)

• īṣyate: is permitted/allowed
• īṣyate: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √iṣ (इष्, धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• bhasma-asthi-cayanāt: after the collection of ashes and bones
• bhasma-asthi-cayanāt: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhasma (प्रातिपदिक) + asthi (प्रातिपदिक) + cayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (bhasma-asthi = of ashes and bones) + तत्पुरुषः (cayana = collection)

• ūrdhvam: thereafter
• ūrdhvam: Desha-Kala (Adverbial/देश-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावार्थे अव्यय (adverb: afterwards/above)

• saṃyogaḥ: association/union
• saṃyogaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃyoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• tu: but
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषणार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• yoṣitām: of women
• yoṣitām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoṣit (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Rules of aśauca (ritual impurity) and restrictions connected with death-rites among sapiṇḍas, including gendered continuities of sambandha

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Kinship-based ritual restrictions (sapiṇḍa-sambandha) govern post-death conduct, with specific rules about when social association is deemed to cease.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Observe culturally appropriate boundaries during bereavement, prioritizing dignity, simplicity, and respect for family obligations.

Vishishtadvaita: Dharma is treated as Bhagavad-ājñā sustaining social and ritual order within the Lord’s governed cosmos.

Characters & Entities

• Sapiṇḍa (kinship group)
• Women (yoṣit)

FAQs

What is the significance of sapiṇḍa restrictions in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames ritual discipline around the sapiṇḍa kin-group, stating that even ordinary comforts like bed and seat-use are regulated during post-death observances, emphasizing dharma as a stabilizing social order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain when the period of association/impurity ends?

He marks a key boundary at the collection of ashes and bones: after bhasma-asthi-cayana, the saṃyoga (ritual association/observance) is said to cease for the relevant kin, indicating a formal closure point in the rite.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the teaching belongs to the Purāṇa’s dharma-kāṇḍa: right ritual order is presented as part of the world’s sustaining law (dharma), ultimately grounded in Vishnu as the supreme regulator of cosmic and social harmony.