Shloka 14
Śrāddha’s Cosmic Reach and Kāla-Nirṇaya (Sacred Timings): Amāvāsyā, Nakṣatra-Yoga, Tīrtha, and Minimum Offerings
पानीयम् अप्य् अत्र तिलैर् विमिश्रं दद्यात् पितृभ्यः प्रयतो मनुष्यः श्राद्धं कृतं तेन समाः सहस्रं रहस्यम् एतत् पितरो वदन्ति
pānīyam apy atra tilair vimiśraṃ dadyāt pitṛbhyaḥ prayato manuṣyaḥ śrāddhaṃ kṛtaṃ tena samāḥ sahasraṃ rahasyam etat pitaro vadanti
ইয়াত তিল মিহলি পানীও যদি শুদ্ধ মনোভাৱে পিতৃসকললৈ দান কৰা হয়, তেন্তে সেয়াই সম্পূৰ্ণ শ্রাদ্ধ হয়। সেই কৰ্মে সহস্ৰ বছৰৰ শ্রাদ্ধ সম্পন্ন হোৱা বুলি পিতৃসকলেই কয়—এইটো তেওঁলোকৰ গূঢ় উপদেশ।
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Śrāddha and the most efficacious modes/times of offering to Pitṛs
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Even a simple offering like water, when given with purity and prescribed substances (tila) to the Pitṛs, becomes fully efficacious śrāddha by the power of right intention and rule.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Perform ancestral remembrance/charity with sincerity and cleanliness even when resources are minimal, following simple scriptural procedure.
Vishishtadvaita: Ritual duty (dharma) is meaningful as an act offered within Bhagavān’s ordered cosmos, where intention and śāstra-guided action bear real fruit.
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse teaches that even a simple offering of water with sesame, made with purity and intent, is accepted by the Pitṛs as a powerful śrāddha act.
He emphasizes inner discipline (prayata) and the prescribed substance (tila with water), stating—on the authority of the Pitṛs—that the merit can equal a thousand years of śrāddha.
Within the Vishnu Purana’s dharma framework, śrāddha supports cosmic and familial order under Vishnu’s sovereignty, where rightful rites and intention align personal duty with universal maintenance.