Shloka 1

Matsya Purana — Ekoddiṣṭa Śrāddha

Devanagari script

*सूत उवाच एकोद्दिष्टमतो वक्ष्ये यदुक्तं चक्रपाणिना मृते पुत्रैर्यथा कार्यम् आशौचं च पितर्यपि //

Transliteration

*sūta uvāca ekoddiṣṭamato vakṣye yaduktaṃ cakrapāṇinā mṛte putrairyathā kāryam āśaucaṃ ca pitaryapi //

Translation

Sūta said: Now I shall explain the rite called Ekoddiṣṭa, as it was taught by Cakrapāṇi (Viṣṇu), and also the rules of āśauca—ritual impurity—that sons must observe when a father dies.

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta (the narrator)

• uvāca: said

• ekoddiṣṭam: the Ekoddiṣṭa rite (a single-offering śrāddha for the departed)

• ataḥ: therefore/now

• vakṣye: I shall explain

• yat uktam: which was spoken/taught

• cakrapāṇinā: by Cakrapāṇi (Viṣṇu, ‘holder of the discus’)

• mṛte: when (someone) has died

• putraiḥ: by the sons

• yathā: as/how

• kāryam: should be done/what is to be performed

• āśaucam: ritual impurity after death

• ca: and

• pitari api: even/also in the case of the father.

Speaker

• Sūta (Sūta Ugraśravas)

Entities Mentioned

• Sūta
• Cakrapāṇi (Viṣṇu)
• Putra (sons)
• Pitṛ (father)

Tags

• Śrāddha
• Ekoddiṣṭa
• Āśauca
• Funeral rites
• Dharma

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it introduces Ekoddiṣṭa-śrāddha and āśauca rules—practical dharma concerning death rites and ritual purity.

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

It frames a householder’s (and by extension a ruler’s) dharma: when the father dies, sons must correctly perform the prescribed rites and observe āśauca, maintaining social-religious order through proper funerary conduct.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual, not architectural: it signals instructions on Ekoddiṣṭa (a focused śrāddha offering for the deceased) and the observance of āśauca connected with funerary procedure.