Shloka 2

Matsya Purana — How Śrāddha Offerings Reach the Ancestors

Devanagari script

यदि मर्त्यो द्विजो भुङ्क्ते हूयते यदि वानले शुभाशुभात्मकैः प्रेतैर् दत्तं तद्भुज्यते कथम् //

Transliteration

yadi martyo dvijo bhuṅkte hūyate yadi vānale śubhāśubhātmakaiḥ pretair dattaṃ tadbhujyate katham //

Translation

If a mortal Brāhmaṇa eats the offering, or if it is poured into the fire as an oblation, then how is that gift—made for the departed pretas, whether in auspicious or inauspicious condition—actually enjoyed by them?

Word by Word

• yadi: if

• martyaḥ: a mortal man

• dvijaḥ: a twice-born (especially a Brāhmaṇa)

• bhuṅkte: eats/consumes

• hūyate: is offered (as an oblation)

• yadi: if

• vānale: in the fire (in the sacrificial fire)

• śubhāśubha-ātmakaiḥ: having the nature/state of auspicious and inauspicious (i.e., various post-death conditions)

• pretaiḥ: by/for the pretas (departed spirits)

• dattam: given/offered

• tat: that

• bhujyate: is enjoyed/partaken of

• katham: how?

Speaker

• Vaivasvata Manu (questioning Lord Matsya)

Entities Mentioned

• Dvija (Brāhmaṇa)
• Agni (sacrificial fire)
• Preta (departed spirit)

Tags

• Śrāddha
• Pitṛ-dharma
• Ritual theory
• Afterlife
• Dāna

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it raises a ritual-philosophical question about the transmission of offerings to pretas through human consumption or fire-oblation.

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

It frames a key householder duty—performing śrāddha and dāna correctly—by questioning how ancestral beneficiaries receive offerings, prompting an authoritative explanation of proper rite and its unseen results.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it highlights two standard channels of offering—feeding a qualified dvija and offering into Agni—and asks how these become ‘enjoyment’ for pretas, a foundational issue in śrāddha procedure and its efficacy.