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Shloka 94

The Glory of Śrāddha at Sacred Fords and the Determination of the Kutapa Time

श्राद्धकाले च वक्तव्यं तथा तीर्थनिवासिभिः । सर्वपापोपशांन्त्यर्थमलक्ष्मीनाशनं मतं

śrāddhakāle ca vaktavyaṃ tathā tīrthanivāsibhiḥ | sarvapāpopaśāṃntyarthamalakṣmīnāśanaṃ mataṃ

Es soll zur Zeit des Śrāddha gesprochen werden, ebenso von den Bewohnern heiliger Pilgerstätten; man hält es für ein Mittel, alle Sünden zu besänftigen und das Unheil (alakṣmī) zu vernichten.

श्राद्धकालेat the time of śrāddha
श्राद्धकाले:
Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootश्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (locative sg.); समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (śrāddhasya kālaḥ)
and
:
Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच (अव्यय)
Formसमुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)
वक्तव्यम्should be spoken/recited
वक्तव्यम्:
Kriya (Obligation/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootवच् (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृदन्त)
Formकर्तव्यता/विधेयार्थक कृदन्त (gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (to be spoken)
तथाlikewise
तथा:
Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतथा (अव्यय)
Formप्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: ‘thus/likewise’)
तीर्थनिवासिभिःby the residents of the tīrtha
तीर्थनिवासिभिः:
Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootतीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + निवासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (instrumental pl.); समासः—सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (tīrthe nivāsinaḥ)
सर्वपापोपशान्त्यर्थम्for the pacification of all sins
सर्वपापोपशान्त्यर्थम्:
Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
TypeNoun
Rootसर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + उपशान्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (accusative sg. of purpose); समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (sarva-pāpānām upaśāntiḥ; tasyāḥ artham)
अलक्ष्मीनाशनम्the destruction of misfortune
अलक्ष्मीनाशनम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootअलक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (N/Acc sg.); समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (alakṣmyāḥ nāśanam)
मतम्is considered
मतम्:
Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootमन् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त) / मत (प्रातिपदिक)
Formभूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP) ‘considered/held’, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

Unspecified (context needed to identify the dialogue speaker in Adhyaya 11)

Concept: Recitation at śrāddha-time and by tīrtha-dwellers pacifies sins and destroys alakṣmī (inauspiciousness).

Application: During ancestral rites, include dharma-text recitation; maintain cleanliness, truthfulness, and generosity to ‘evict’ alakṣmī—treat inauspiciousness as a call to restore sattva through disciplined practice.

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"At a lamp-lit ghāṭa pavilion, tīrtha-residents—brahmacārins and elderly priests—recite śrāddha passages while a family offers water and sesame. A shadowy figure symbolizing Alakṣmī dissolves into mist at the edge of the scene as the recitation rises like incense.","primary_figures":["tīrtha-purohitas","a śrāddha-performing family","Alakṣmī (symbolic, fading)"],"setting":"Pilgrimage-town ghāṭa with small shrine, palm-leaf manuscripts, ritual trays, and a river or sacred tank nearby.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["lamp gold","smoke gray","sandalwood beige","crimson","midnight blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a ghāṭa mandapa with priests reciting from palm-leaf texts during śrāddha, oil lamps casting warm halos; a symbolic dark Alakṣmī form dissolves at the border; heavy gold leaf on lamp flames and halos, rich reds/greens in garments, ornate archways and floral borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate pavilion scene with delicate lines—priests and householders seated in a semicircle, manuscripts and offering bowls; cool evening tones with warm lamp glow; Alakṣmī shown as a faint smoky silhouette drifting away, refined facial features and lyrical composition.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: strong outlines show a ritual assembly at a tīrtha shrine, lamps and vessels stylized; Alakṣmī rendered as a dark, curling cloud at the margin being dispelled; traditional red-yellow-green palette with temple-wall symmetry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: decorative border of lotuses and sacred symbols; central recitation circle with lamps and offerings; inauspiciousness depicted as a dark motif pushed outward by concentric floral patterns; deep blues and gold accents, intricate textile-like detailing."}

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["temple bells","low chanting chorus","oil lamp crackle","distant flowing water","silence between verses"]}

Sandhi Resolution Notes: सर्वपापोपशांन्त्यर्थम् = सर्वपाप + उपशान्ति + अर्थम्; (उपशान्ति-शब्दे ‘शान्ति’ रूपेण पाठभेदः सम्भवः).

FAQs

It recommends that a specific sacred utterance or passage be recited during the śrāddha period, implying it supports ancestral rites by promoting purification and spiritual calm.

The verse extends the same instruction to those living in pilgrimage centers, suggesting regular recitation there is especially appropriate for maintaining purity and auspiciousness in sacred spaces.

It refers to the removal of inauspiciousness, misfortune, or poverty-like negativity—an inner and outer restoration of auspicious conditions through dharmic recitation.