Shloka 24
Śrāddha Vidhi (Pārvaṇa-Śrāddha): Invitations, Arghya, Protective Rites, Piṇḍa Offering, Dakṣiṇā, and Visarjana
ॐ अमुकगोत्र ! अस्मत्पितः ! अमुकदेवदर्शन् ! सपत्नीक ! एतत्ते पिण्डासनं स्वधा / इत्थं रेखामध्ये पितामहाय खव्याहृतिकां गायत्त्रीं मधुवातेति त्रर्जपन्नन्नं साज्यं पिण्डं कृत्वा कुशोपरि अमुकगोत्र अस्मत्पितः ! अमुकदेवश्रमन् ! सपत्नीक एष पिण्डस्ते स्वधा / इत्थं रेखामध्ये पितामहाय / ततः सव्याहृतिकां गायत्त्रीं मधुवातेति त्रिर्जंपन्पिण्डविकिरणं पिण्डान्तिके / ॐ लेपभुजः प्रीयन्तमिति स्तरण्कुशेषु हस्तमार्जनं प्रक्षालितपिण्डोदकेन ॐ अमुकगोत्र ! अस्मत्पितः ! अमुकशर्मन् सपत्नीक एतत्ते जलमवनेक्ष्व ये चात्रत्वामनुजाश्च त्वामनु तस्मै तेस्वधेति पितृपिण्डसेचनम् / पिण्डपात्रमधोमुखं कृत्वा बद्धाञ्जलिः ॐ पितरो मादयध्वं यथाभागमावृषायध्वमिति जपेत् / अपः स्पृष्ट्वा वामेन परावृत्त्य उदङ्मुखः प्राणांस्त्रिः संयम्य षड्भ्य ऋतुभ्यो नमः इति जपः
oṃ amukagotra ! asmatpitaḥ ! amukadevadarśan ! sapatnīka ! etatte piṇḍāsanaṃ svadhā / itthaṃ rekhāmadhye pitāmahāya khavyāhṛtikāṃ gāyattrīṃ madhuvāteti trarjapannannaṃ sājyaṃ piṇḍaṃ kṛtvā kuśopari amukagotra asmatpitaḥ ! amukadevaśraman ! sapatnīka eṣa piṇḍaste svadhā / itthaṃ rekhāmadhye pitāmahāya / tataḥ savyāhṛtikāṃ gāyattrīṃ madhuvāteti trirjaṃpanpiṇḍavikiraṇaṃ piṇḍāntike / oṃ lepabhujaḥ prīyantamiti staraṇkuśeṣu hastamārjanaṃ prakṣālitapiṇḍodakena oṃ amukagotra ! asmatpitaḥ ! amukaśarman sapatnīka etatte jalamavanekṣva ye cātratvāmanujāśca tvāmanu tasmai tesvadheti pitṛpiṇḍasecanam / piṇḍapātramadhomukhaṃ kṛtvā baddhāñjaliḥ oṃ pitaro mādayadhvaṃ yathābhāgamāvṛṣāyadhvamiti japet / apaḥ spṛṣṭvā vāmena parāvṛttya udaṅmukhaḥ prāṇāṃstriḥ saṃyamya ṣaḍbhya ṛtubhyo namaḥ iti japaḥ
Om. O (of such-and-such) gotra—our father—O Devadarśan—together with your wife: this seat of the piṇḍa is for you; svadhā. Thus, for the grandfather, having thrice recited the Gāyatrī and the ‘madhu-vāta’ formula, prepare a piṇḍa of food with ghee and place it on kuśa grass. Wipe the hands on the grass, saying: ‘Om—may the eaters of the remnants be satisfied.’ Then pour water on the ancestral piṇḍa, saying: ‘Behold this water for you and those who follow you.’ Turning the vessel upside down, with joined palms, recite: ‘Om. O Fathers, rejoice.’ Facing north, salute the six seasons.
Lord Viṣṇu (instructing Garuḍa on śrāddha / piṇḍa-dāna procedure)
Ritual Type: Parvana
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: Śrāddha occasion (tithi-based; commonly amāvasyā/mahālaya/annual death tithi depending on context)
Concept: Pitṛ-yajña through piṇḍa and tilodaka, mantra, and orderly procedure; sustaining ancestral satisfaction and familial continuity.
Vedantic Theme: R̥ṇa-traya (debt to ancestors) and karma-samskara: right action (niyata-karma) purifies the doer and supports social-cosmic order (ṛta).
Application: Perform śrāddha with correct sankalpa (gotra/name), kuśa placement, mantra-recitation (Gāyatrī with vyāhṛtis, madhu-vāta), water-offerings, and concluding breath-restraint and seasonal salutations.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: domestic-ritual-space (shraddha-vedi/ground with rekhā marking)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana, Pretakalpa/Shraddha-kalpa sections on piṇḍa-dāna, tilodaka, kuśa, and pitṛ-tarpaṇa (adjacent verses 1.218.25-28)
FAQs
This verse presents piṇḍa-dāna as a precise śrāddha procedure—offering food mixed with ghee on kuśa with ‘svadhā’ and accompanying mantras—meant to satisfy and honor the Pitṛs and transmit the offering according to their allotted share.
It explicitly links the act (making, placing, scattering, and watering the piṇḍa) with mantra-recitation—Gāyatrī with vyāhṛtis, the ‘madhu-vāta’ formula, and Pitṛ-invocations—showing that correct intention and ritual speech are integral to the offering’s effectiveness.
Even when simplified due to circumstance, one can preserve the core intent: respectful remembrance of ancestors, offering food/water with purity and gratitude, and following an authentic śrāddha guideline learned from a competent tradition or priest.