Shloka 57

Matsya Purana — Sādhāraṇa Śrāddha: General Ancestral Rite

Devanagari script

उच्छेषणं भूमिगतम् अजिह्मस्यास्तिकस्य च दासवर्गस्य तत्पित्र्यं भागधेयं प्रचक्षते //

Transliteration

uccheṣaṇaṃ bhūmigatam ajihmasyāstikasya ca dāsavargasya tatpitryaṃ bhāgadheyaṃ pracakṣate //

Translation

They declare that the lawful share (bhāgadheya) of the servant-class is the leftover food placed upon the ground—given to one who is straightforward and faithful—and that this is reckoned as their ancestral portion.

Word by Word

• उच्छेषणम्: leftover food/remnants

• भूमिगतं: placed on the ground

• अजिह्मस्य: of one who is not crooked/straightforward

• आस्तिकस्य: of a believer/faithful person (one who accepts dharma)

• च: and

• दासवर्गस्य: of the servant class/group of servants

• तत्पित्र्यम्: that which is paternal/ancestral (pitṛ-related entitlement)

• भागधेयम्: allotted share/portion/rightful due

• प्रचक्षते: they declare/they state.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (teaching Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Matsya
• Vaivasvata Manu
• Pitṛs (ancestral principle, implied by pitrya)

Tags

• Dharma
• Rajadharma
• Social order
• Household ethics
• Inheritance

FAQs

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

Nothing directly—this verse is ethical-social instruction about customary shares (bhāgadheya), not cosmology or pralaya.

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

It frames a minimum, customary entitlement for dependents/servants: a householder (and by extension a ruler overseeing dharma) must ensure provision, even if in the form of leftovers, and value qualities like honesty (ajihma) and faithfulness (āstika).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No Vāstu rule is stated; the only ritual-ethical undertone is the notion of “pitrya” (ancestral/customary right), indicating a traditional dharma-based allocation within the household.