Matsya Purana — Sādhāraṇa Śrāddha: General Ancestral Rite, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

पूरयेत्पात्रयुग्मं तु स्थाप्य दर्भपवित्रकम् शं नो देवीत्य् अपः कुर्याद् यवो ऽसीति यवानपि //

Transliteration

pūrayetpātrayugmaṃ tu sthāpya darbhapavitrakam śaṃ no devīty apaḥ kuryād yavo 'sīti yavānapi //

Translation

Er soll ein Paar Gefäße füllen und dabei das reinigende Darbha-Gras bereitlegen. Mit der Rezitation „Śaṃ no devīḥ…“ soll er das Wasser weihen; und mit „yavo ’si“ ebenso die Gerstenkörner heiligen.

Word by Word

• पूरयेत्: he should fill

• पात्रयुग्मम्: a pair of vessels

• तु: indeed/then

• स्थाप्य: having placed/setting

• दर्भपवित्रकम्: darbha-grass purifier (a sanctifying ring/tuft of kuśa)

• शं नः देवीति: with the mantra beginning “Śaṃ no devīḥ…”

• अपः: water

• कुर्यात्: he should perform/prepare (consecrate)

• यवः असि इति: with the mantra “yavo ’si” (“you are barley”)

• यवान् अपि: the barley grains also

Speaker

• Suta (narrating the Matsya Purana’s ritual instructions; framed as traditional teaching within the Purana)

Entities Mentioned

• Darbha (Kuśa grass)
• Āpaḥ (sacred waters)
• Yava (barley)

Tags

• Ritual
• Mantra
• Purification
• Homa/Pūjā
• Householder Dharma

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it focuses on ritual purity—sanctifying water and barley with Vedic mantras and darbha as a purifier.

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

It reflects the householder’s (and by extension a king’s) duty to perform rites correctly: preparing consecrated water and offerings with prescribed mantras and purity implements (darbha/kuśa).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it specifies standard purification technology: darbha as a sanctifier and mantra-recitation to consecrate water and barley—key materials used in pūjā, homa, and other Vedic-Puranic ceremonies.