Shloka 4

Matsya Purana — How Śrāddha Offerings Reach the Ancestors

Devanagari script

नाम गोत्रं पितॄणां तु प्रापकं हव्यकव्ययोः श्राद्धस्य मन्त्राः श्रद्धा च उपयोज्यातिभक्तितः //

Transliteration

nāma gotraṃ pitṝṇāṃ tu prāpakaṃ havyakavyayoḥ śrāddhasya mantrāḥ śraddhā ca upayojyātibhaktitaḥ //

Translation

Indeed, the ancestors’ name and lineage (gotra) are what convey the offerings—both the oblations to the gods (havis) and the food-offerings to the ancestors (kavya). Therefore, in the śrāddha rite, one should employ the prescribed mantras and faith (śraddhā) with deep devotion.

Word by Word

• नाम (nāma): name

• गोत्रं (gotram): lineage/clan (gotra)

• पितॄणाम् (pitṝṇām): of the ancestors (pitṛs)

• तु (tu): indeed/but

• प्रापकं (prāpakam): that which conveys/delivers (to the intended recipient)

• हव्यकव्ययोः (havyakavyayoḥ): of havya and kavya—offerings to gods and to ancestors

• श्राद्धस्य (śrāddhasya): of the śrāddha rite

• मन्त्राः (mantrāḥ): sacred formulas/mantras

• श्रद्धा (śraddhā): faith, reverent intention

• च (ca): and

• उपयोज्यात् (upayojyāt): should apply/should employ

• अतिभक्तितः (atibhaktitaḥ): with great devotion

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) instructing Vaivasvata Manu (contextual attribution for this adhyaya’s dharma-śāstra style teaching)

Entities Mentioned

• Pitṛs (Ancestors)
• Śrāddha
• Havya
• Kavya
• Mantras
• Śraddhā

Tags

• Dharma
• Śrāddha
• Pitṛs
• Ritual Procedure
• Mantras

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it teaches ritual correctness in śrāddha—how offerings reach their intended recipients through proper identification (name and gotra) and through mantras with faith.

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

It highlights a key gṛhastha-duty: performing śrāddha properly. The householder (and by extension a king as an exemplar) should ensure ancestral rites are done with correct lineage-invocation and sincere śraddhā, not merely as a formality.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual: correct utterance of the ancestors’ name and gotra, along with the proper śrāddha mantras and heartfelt śraddhā, is said to ‘deliver’ havya-kavya offerings to the intended divine and ancestral recipients.