Matsya Purana — Sādhāraṇa Śrāddha: General Ancestral Rite, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

मातरः प्रथमं पूज्याः पितरस्तदनन्तरम् ततो मातामहा राजन् विश्वे देवास्तथैव च //

Transliteration

mātaraḥ prathamaṃ pūjyāḥ pitarastadanantaram tato mātāmahā rājan viśve devāstathaiva ca //

Translation

Zuerst sind die Mütter zu ehren, danach die Väter. Dann, o König, sollen die Großväter mütterlicherseits verehrt werden, und ebenso die Viśvedevas.

Word by Word

• mātaraḥ: mothers

• prathamaṃ: first

• pūjyāḥ: worthy of worship/honor

• pitaras: fathers/forefathers

• tad-anantaram: immediately after that

• tataḥ: then

• mātāmahāḥ: maternal grandfathers

• rājan: O King

• viśve devāḥ: the Viśvedevas (a collective class of deities invoked in rites, especially Śrāddha)

• tathā eva ca: and so indeed/likewise also

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (instructing King Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Viśvedevas
• Mothers (Mātṛ)
• Fathers/Forefathers (Pitṛ)
• Maternal grandfathers (Mātāmaha)

Tags

• Dharma
• Śrāddha
• Pitṛs
• Householder Duties
• Ritual Order

FAQs

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

Nothing directly—this verse is ethical-ritual instruction on the proper hierarchy of reverence in rites like Śrāddha, not a teaching on cosmic creation or Pralaya.

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

It sets a clear dharmic priority for honoring elders and ritual recipients: mother first, then father, then maternal lineage, and then the Viśvedevas—guiding both household conduct and the correct sequencing in ancestral rites.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritual significance: it specifies the order of veneration in Śrāddha/ancestor-related worship, including the Viśvedevas who are commonly invoked as deities connected with such offerings.