Shloka 28

Matsya Purana — Ekoddiṣṭa Śrāddha

Devanagari script

त्रिभिः सपिण्डीकरणे अशेषत्रितये पिता यदा प्राप्स्यति कालेन तदा मुच्येत बन्धनात् //

Transliteration

tribhiḥ sapiṇḍīkaraṇe aśeṣatritaye pitā yadā prāpsyati kālena tadā mucyeta bandhanāt //

Translation

When, in due course of time, the father attains the complete triad through the three sapīṇḍīkaraṇa rites, then he is released from bondage (bandhana).

Word by Word

• त्रिभिः: by three

• सपिण्डीकरणे: in/through the sapīṇḍīkaraṇa rite (making one with the ancestral piṇḍa-line)

• अशेष: entire, without remainder

• त्रितये: in the triad/threefold set

• पिता: the father (departed ancestor)

• यदा: when

• प्राप्स्यति: attains, reaches

• कालेन: in time, in due course

• तदा: then

• मुच्येत: is freed, is released

• बन्धनात्: from bondage, from constraint (of the post-death state)

Speaker

• Sūta (narrative voice summarizing the teaching on Śrāddha/Pitṛ rites, within the Matsya Purana’s dharma instruction)

Entities Mentioned

• Pitṛ (father/ancestor)
• Sapīṇḍīkaraṇa

Tags

• Śrāddha
• Pitṛ-dharma
• Sapīṇḍīkaraṇa
• Afterlife rites
• Householder duties

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya; it focuses on pitṛ-dharma—how prescribed ancestral rites (sapīṇḍīkaraṇa) lead to the departed father’s release from a binding post-death condition.

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

It highlights the gṛhastha obligation to perform śrāddha and sapīṇḍīkaraṇa correctly and in sequence; these rites are presented as efficacious for the welfare and liberation of one’s departed father/ancestors.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual (not architectural): sapīṇḍīkaraṇa is the rite that integrates the deceased into the ancestral piṇḍa lineage, and completing its prescribed threefold performance is said to remove “bondage” for the father.