Shloka 42
Matsya Purana — Sādhāraṇa Śrāddha: General Ancestral Rite
अग्निदग्धास्तु ये जीवा ये ऽप्यदग्धाः कुले मम भूमौ दत्तेन तृप्यन्तु प्रयान्तु परमां गतिम् //
agnidagdhāstu ye jīvā ye 'pyadagdhāḥ kule mama bhūmau dattena tṛpyantu prayāntu paramāṃ gatim //
May those beings of my lineage who have been cremated by fire—and also those who have not been cremated—be satisfied by the gift of land, and may they depart to the supreme state.
FAQs
This verse is not about cosmic pralaya; it focuses on post-death welfare—how merit from bhūmi-dāna can aid departed beings of one’s lineage, regardless of whether cremation rites were completed.
It frames a core duty of the gṛhastha (and by extension a righteous king): supporting ancestral rites through dāna. Bhūmi-dāna is presented as a high-impact gift whose merit is directed to the family’s departed, aiming at their satisfaction and higher passage.
Ritually, it highlights bhūmi-dāna (gift of land) as a potent śrāddha-associated offering; architecturally it is indirect, but land-gift underpins sacred works (temples, āśramas, ritual grounds) that generate enduring merit transferable to pitṛs.