Shloka 67

Matsya Purana — Sādhāraṇa Śrāddha: General Ancestral Rite

Devanagari script

प्रदक्षिणोपचारेण दध्यक्षतफलोदकैः प्राङ्मुखो निर्वपेत्पिण्डान् दूर्वया च कुशैर्युतान् //

Transliteration

pradakṣiṇopacāreṇa dadhyakṣataphalodakaiḥ prāṅmukho nirvapetpiṇḍān dūrvayā ca kuśairyutān //

Translation

Facing east, one should offer the piṇḍas with the clockwise reverential procedure (pradakṣiṇa), using curds, akṣata (unbroken rice-grains), fruits, and water; and the piṇḍas should be accompanied by dūrvā grass and kuśa blades.

Word by Word

• pradakṣiṇa-upacāreṇa: with clockwise circumambulation/reverent ritual attendance

• dadhy: with curds (yogurt)

• akṣata: unbroken rice grains

• phala: fruits

• udakaiḥ: with water

• prāṅmukhaḥ: facing east

• nirvapet: should place/offer/lay down

• piṇḍān: rice-balls/oblations offered to the Pitṛs

• dūrvayā: with dūrvā grass

• ca: and

• kuśaiḥ: with kuśa grass

• yutān: furnished/combined/accompanied

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Pitṛs
• dūrvā
• kuśa
• piṇḍa
• akṣata

Tags

• Śrāddha
• Piṇḍa-dāna
• Pitṛ-tarpaṇa
• Gṛhastha-dharma
• Ritual procedure

FAQs

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

This verse does not describe pralaya; it gives procedural instructions for ancestral offerings (piṇḍa-dāna) within dharma/śrāddha practice.

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

It outlines gṛhastha-dharma: a householder (and by extension a king as an ideal patron of dharma) should properly perform śrāddha by offering piṇḍas with prescribed substances and orientation, honoring the Pitṛs through correct ritual conduct.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The ritual significance is explicit: face east (prāṅmukha), perform offerings with pradakṣiṇa-style reverence, and use standard śrāddha materials—curds, akṣata, fruits, water—along with kuśa and dūrvā grasses, which are traditional purificatory and rite-defining implements.