Shloka 16

Matsya Purana — Sādhāraṇa Śrāddha: General Ancestral Rite

Devanagari script

गन्धपुष्पैश्च संपूज्य वैश्वदेवं प्रति न्यसेत् विश्वे देवास इत्याभ्याम् आवाह्य विकिरेद्यवान् //

Transliteration

gandhapuṣpaiśca saṃpūjya vaiśvadevaṃ prati nyaset viśve devāsa ityābhyām āvāhya vikiredyavān //

Translation

Having duly worshipped with fragrances and flowers, one should place the offering for the Vaiśvadeva. Then, invoking the Viśvedevas with the words “viśve devāsaḥ…”, one should scatter barley grains as an offering.

Word by Word

• गन्ध (gandha): fragrance/perfume

• पुष्पैः (puṣpaiḥ): with flowers

• च (ca): and

• संपूज्य (saṃpūjya): having worshipped properly

• वैश्वदेवम् (vaiśvadevam): the Vaiśvadeva rite/oblation to all gods

• प्रति (prati): towards/for

• न्यसेत् (nyaset): one should place/lay down (the offering)

• विश्वे देवासः (viśve devāsaḥ): the Viśvedevas (All-Gods, a collective class of deities)

• इति (iti): thus/with the words

• आभ्याम् (ābhyām): by these (two words/this formula)

• आवाह्य (āvāhya): having invoked

• विकिरेत् (vikiret): one should scatter/sprinkle

• यवान् (yavān): barley grains

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Vaiśvadeva
• Viśvedevas
• yava (barley)

Tags

• Vaiśvadeva
• Grihastha Dharma
• Daily Ritual
• Deva-invocation
• Offerings

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it focuses on daily domestic worship (Vaiśvadeva) and the correct method of invoking the Viśvedevas and offering barley.

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

It outlines a householder’s (and by extension a king’s) nitya-karma: honoring the divine collective (Vaiśvadeva/Viśvedevas) through orderly worship—perfume and flowers followed by a grain offering—supporting dharma through daily discipline.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual: it specifies sequencing (worship → placement of Vaiśvadeva offering → invocation formula → scattering barley), highlighting how mantras and materials (yava) are paired in Purāṇic domestic rites.