Shloka 36

Matsya Purana — Glory of Tīrtha-Śrāddha: Best Times

Devanagari script

श्राद्धमेतेषु यद्दत्तं तदनन्तफलं स्मृतम् द्रोणी वाटनदी धारा सरित्क्षीरनदी तथा //

Transliteration

śrāddhameteṣu yaddattaṃ tadanantaphalaṃ smṛtam droṇī vāṭanadī dhārā saritkṣīranadī tathā //

Translation

A Śrāddha offering made at these sacred places is remembered to yield endless merit—such as at Droṇī, Vāṭa-nadī, Dhārā, and likewise the river known as Kṣīra-nadī.

Word by Word

• श्राद्धम् (śrāddham): ancestral rite/Śrāddha offering

• एतेषु (eteṣu): among these, at these (places)

• यत् (yat): which

• दत्तम् (dattam): given/offered

• तत् (tat): that

• अनन्तफलम् (ananta-phalam): having infinite/endless fruit (merit)

• स्मृतम् (smṛtam): is said/remembered in tradition

• द्रोणी (droṇī): Droṇī (name of a tīrtha/holy place)

• वाटनदी (vāṭa-nadī): Vāṭa-nadī (name of a river/tīrtha)

• धारा (dhārā): Dhārā (name of a sacred place/stream)

• सरित् (sarit): river

• क्षीरनदी (kṣīra-nadī): Kṣīra-nadī, “Milk River” (a river/tīrtha)

• तथा (tathā): and also/likewise.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in discourse to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Lord Matsya
• Vaivasvata Manu
• Śrāddha
• Droṇī
• Vāṭa-nadī
• Dhārā
• Kṣīra-nadī

Tags

• Śrāddha
• Tīrtha
• Pitṛs
• Dharma
• Ritual merit

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya directly; it focuses on dharma—specifically, the inexhaustible merit (ananta-phala) gained by performing Śrāddha at certain revered tīrthas and rivers.

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

It reinforces the gṛhastha (householder) duty of honoring the Pitṛs through Śrāddha. By recommending specific tīrthas where offerings yield “endless fruit,” it guides rulers and householders toward dharmic acts that sustain lineage, social order, and religious merit.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual rather than architectural: it identifies named sacred sites/rivers where Śrāddha offerings are considered exceptionally efficacious, implying tīrtha-selection as a key component of proper ancestral-rite procedure.