Varaha Purana 14.9 — Adhyaya 14, Shloka 9

Ritual Procedure for Śrāddha: Sequence, Eligibility, and Offerings to Ancestors

Devanagari script

पादशौचादिना गृहमागतान् भोजयेद् द्विजान् । पवित्रपाणिराचान्तानासनेषूपवेशयेत् ॥ १४.९ ॥

Transliteration

pādaśaucādinā gṛham āgatān bhojayed dvijān | pavitrapāṇir ācāntān āsaneṣūpaveśayet || 14.9 ||

Translation

Nachdem man die üblichen Handlungen, beginnend mit dem Waschen der Füße, vollzogen hat, soll man die ins Haus gekommenen Dvija bewirten; mit gereinigten Händen soll man sie, nachdem sie Ācamana (rituelles Wasserschlürfen) vollzogen haben, auf geeignete Sitze setzen.

Word by Word

• पादशौचादिना: with foot-washing etc.
• पादशौचादिना: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पादशौच + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (पादशौचादि = ‘foot-washing etc.’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण (instrumental)

• गृहम्: to the house
• गृहम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; गत्यर्थे कर्म

• आगतान्: who have come
• आगतान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु) → आगत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, PPP); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण (to द्विजान्)

• भोजयेत्: should feed
• भोजयेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज्/भोज् (धातु) (causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; णिच्-प्रयोग

• द्विजान्: twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• द्विजान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; कर्म

• पवित्रपाणिः: one whose hand is purified (holding sacred grass)
• पवित्रपाणिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पवित्र + पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (पवित्रः पाणिः यस्य सः); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (to implied host)

• आचान्तान्: who have sipped water (ācamana done)
• आचान्तान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-चम् (धातु) → आचान्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, PPP); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण (to द्विजान् understood)

• आसनेषु: on seats
• आसनेषु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; अधिकरण

• उपवेशयेत्: should seat (them)
• उपवेशयेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-विश् (धातु) (causative: उपवेशयति)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; णिच्-प्रयोग (cause to sit/seat)

Speaker

Varāha (default speaker within the Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue framework)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"shraddha","instruction_summary":"Receive guests with foot-washing and related courtesies; after ācamana and with purified hands, seat them properly and then feed them.","karmic_consequence":"Observing śauca and proper reception makes the offering ritually valid and pleasing to pitṛs; negligence in śauca/seating is a procedural fault reducing śrāddha efficacy."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"śauca and saṃskāra of action","core_concept":"Outer cleanliness and inner attentiveness jointly sanctify giving; ritual is ethics embodied in gesture.","practical_application":"Keep water, towels, seats ready; guide guests through ācamana; serve only after establishing cleanliness and comfort."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Practice","Hospitality"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: śānta

Secondary Rasa: dāna-vīra

Geographic Context

Type: domestic-ritual space

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 14.14.8 (invitation/feeding); Varāha Purāṇa 14.14.10-11 (allocation and associated rites)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Guests sit on proper seats after foot-washing and ācamana; the host, hands purified, prepares to serve the śrāddha meal.","item_prompts":["water pot and basin for foot-washing","towel/cloth","ācamanīya water vessel","kuśa grass and seats (āsana)","host with clean hands in añjali or serving posture"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized ritual implements, clear depiction of pāda-śauca and ācamana sequence, serene faces and symmetrical seating.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: ornate seats and vessels with gold highlights, central host figure with luminous cleanliness motifs (white cloth, shining pot).","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate rendering of water, textiles, and calm domestic sanctity; emphasis on gesture and etiquette.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: intimate veranda scene, soft palette, narrative clarity of washing–sipping–seating progression."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"calmly procedural","suggested_raga":"Shuddha Saveri","pace":"slow-medium","voice_tone":"measured, attentive, gently authoritative"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Dharma
• Gṛhya Practice
• Social Ethics

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a Dharma-śāstra-aligned household code in Purāṇic literature, documenting standardized guest-reception practices (cleansing, seating, and feeding) that shaped social norms in premodern South Asian domestic life.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific geographic site is named in this verse; it focuses on household procedure rather than sacred geography.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

To treat arriving guests—especially those socially recognized as dvija—with cleanliness, respectful seating, and food offering, emphasizing disciplined hospitality as a core household ethic.