Shloka 20
Śrāddha’s Cosmic Reach and Kāla-Nirṇaya (Sacred Timings): Amāvāsyā, Nakṣatra-Yoga, Tīrtha, and Minimum Offerings
चित्तं च वित्तं च नृणां विशुद्धं शस्तश् च कालः कथितो विधिश् च पात्रं यथोक्तं परमा च भक्तिर् नृणां प्रयच्छत्य् अभिवाञ्छितानि
cittaṃ ca vittaṃ ca nṛṇāṃ viśuddhaṃ śastaś ca kālaḥ kathito vidhiś ca pātraṃ yathoktaṃ paramā ca bhaktir nṛṇāṃ prayacchaty abhivāñchitāni
إذا طَهُرَ قلبُ الإنسان وكان مالُه مكتسَبًا بالحلال؛ وكان الوقتُ ميمونًا وأُدِّيَت الشعيرةُ كما شُرِعَت؛ وكان المُتلقّي أهلًا كما قيل، وكانت البھكتي أسمى—فإن هذه الأمور مجتمعةً تمنح الناس الثمار التي يتمنّونها.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya, within a dharma-oriented discourse)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Conditions that make ritual gifts/offerings efficacious: purity of mind/wealth, proper time, correct procedure, worthy recipient, and supreme devotion
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: revealing
Concept: Ritual and charity bear desired fruit when grounded in inner purity, honest means, correct timing and procedure, proper recipients, and above all sincere devotion.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Before giving or performing rites, verify ethical sourcing, cultivate clarity of intention, choose appropriate occasions, and support genuinely worthy recipients.
Vishishtadvaita: Bhakti is presented as the crowning factor that perfects karma, aligning action with Bhagavān as the inner ruler of dharma.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse teaches that inner intention (citta) and the moral purity of one’s resources (vitta) are foundational; without them, ritual acts and gifts do not reliably yield the intended fruits.
He frames dharma as a complete set: auspicious timing (kāla), scriptural method (vidhi), and a fit recipient (pātra) must align—showing that outcomes depend on both devotion and correct order.
Even while listing practical conditions for merit, the verse culminates in supreme bhakti, reflecting the Vishnu Purana’s Vaishnava view that devotion to the Supreme sustains and perfects dharma’s results.