Shloka 28
Śrāddha Vidhi (Pārvaṇa-Śrāddha): Invitations, Arghya, Protective Rites, Piṇḍa Offering, Dakṣiṇā, and Visarjana
अमुकगोत्राणामस्मत्पितृपितामहप्रपितामहानां सपत्नीकानामिदमन्नपानादिकमक्षय्यमस्त्विति पित्रादिब्राह्मणहस्ते तिलजलदानम् / अस्त्विति ब्राह्मणो वदेत् / एतन्मातामहादीनामक्षय्यमाशिषः / ॐ अघोराः पितरः सन्तु गोत्रं नो वर्धतां--दातारो नो ऽभिवर्धन्तां वेदाः सन्ततिरेव च / श्रद्धा च नो मा व्यगमद्बहुदेयञ्च नो ऽस्त्विति / अन्नञ्च नो बहु भवेदतिथींश्च लभेमहि / याचितारश्च नः सन्तु मा च याचिष्म कञ्चन / एताः सत्याशिषः सन्तु
amukagotrāṇāmasmatpitṛpitāmahaprapitāmahānāṃ sapatnīkānāmidamannapānādikamakṣayyamastviti pitrādibrāhmaṇahaste tilajaladānam / astviti brāhmaṇo vadet / etanmātāmahādīnāmakṣayyamāśiṣaḥ / oṃ aghorāḥ pitaraḥ santu gotraṃ no vardhatāṃ--dātāro no 'bhivardhantāṃ vedāḥ santatireva ca / śraddhā ca no mā vyagamadbahudeyañca no 'stviti / annañca no bahu bhavedatithīṃśca labhemahi / yācitāraśca naḥ santu mā ca yāciṣma kañcana / etāḥ satyāśiṣaḥ santu
“For those of such-and-such lineage—our fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers, with their wives—may this offering be inexhaustible.” Saying thus, give sesame-water into the hands of a Brāhmaṇa. The Brāhmaṇa should reply, “So be it.” This is the unfailing blessing: “Om. May the Pitṛs be auspicious; may our lineage increase. May our faith never decline, and may we have abundant means to give. May we have plentiful food and receive guests. May there be those who ask of us, and may we never have to beg from anyone.”
Lord Viṣṇu (teaching Garuḍa/Vinata-putra)
Ritual Type: Parvana
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: Blessing and tilodaka-dāna segment toward the close of śrāddha
Concept: Śrāddha is not only offering but a dharmic economy: faith (śraddhā), giving capacity, hospitality, and learning are sought as enduring boons.
Vedantic Theme: Karma and saṃskāra shaping future conditions; dharma as the ground for artha/kāma pursued righteously, supporting sattva and social ṛta.
Application: Offer tilodaka with explicit sankalpa for fathers/grandfathers/great-grandfathers with wives; receive ‘astu’ from brāhmaṇa; recite blessing-mantras aiming at lineage growth, Vedic study, generosity, food security, and guest-reception.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: śrāddha setting with brāhmaṇa as pitṛ-pratinidhi receiving tilodaka
Related Themes: Culmination of the śrāddha sequence in 1.218.24-27; blessings formula here functions as closure
FAQs
This verse frames tilodaka-dāna as a formal transfer of an “inexhaustible” share of food and drink to one’s Pitṛs (including their wives), given through a brāhmaṇa’s hand, and sealed by the affirmation “astu.”
By ensuring continued support and satisfaction of the Pitṛs through śrāddha-style offerings, the householder sustains ancestral well-being and receives stabilizing blessings—lineage continuity, faith, and prosperity—which Garuda Purana links with orderly post-death rites and dharmic continuity.
Perform ancestor remembrance with a clear sankalpa (intention), give charity (especially food/water) with sincerity, cultivate hospitality to guests, and live so that you can give rather than beg—these are the ethical outcomes the mantra itself asks for.