Shloka 17

Matsya Purana — Soma

Devanagari script

गृहमेधिनश्च यज्वानो ह्य् अग्निष्वात्तार्तवाः स्मृताः अष्टकापतयः काव्याः पञ्चाब्दांस्तु निबोधत //

Transliteration

gṛhamedhinaśca yajvāno hy agniṣvāttārtavāḥ smṛtāḥ aṣṭakāpatayaḥ kāvyāḥ pañcābdāṃstu nibodhata //

Translation

Householders who have performed sacrifices are remembered as the Agniṣvātta Pitṛs—also called Ārtavas. Know further: the Kāvya Pitṛs are the lords of the Aṣṭakā rites, and their period is five years.

Word by Word

• gṛhamedhinaḥ: householders (gṛhasthas)

• ca: and

• yajvānaḥ: sacrificers, those who have performed yajñas

• hi: indeed

• agniṣvātta-ārtavāḥ: Agniṣvātta (also termed Ārtava) Pitṛs

• smṛtāḥ: are remembered/are regarded

• aṣṭakā-patayaḥ: lords/presiding deities of the Aṣṭakā rites

• kāvyāḥ: the Kāvya-class Pitṛs

• pañca-abdān: five years

• tu: further/indeed

• nibodhata: know, understand (listen and grasp).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Agniṣvātta Pitṛs
• Ārtava Pitṛs
• Kāvya Pitṛs
• Aṣṭakā (ancestral rite)

Tags

• Pitṛs
• Śrāddha
• Aṣṭakā
• Gṛhastha-dharma
• Ritual taxonomy

FAQs

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

This verse is not about cosmic dissolution; it classifies ancestral beings (Pitṛs) and links them to specific rites and time-cycles, indicating how ritual order continues regardless of larger cosmological themes.

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

It frames gṛhasthas who perform yajñas as connected with the Agniṣvātta/Ārtava Pitṛs, underscoring that a householder’s sacrificial life and ancestral rites (like Aṣṭakā/Śrāddha) are core duties of dharma.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual: it identifies the Kāvya Pitṛs as presiding over the Aṣṭakā rites and notes a five-year cycle/measure, useful for understanding Purāṇic scheduling and categorization of śrāddha-related observances.