Shloka 20

Matsya Purana — Śrāddha Procedure: Types

Devanagari script

अक्रोधनैः शौचपरैः सततं ब्रह्मचारिभिः भवितव्यं भवद्भिश्च मया च श्राद्धकारिणा //

Transliteration

akrodhanaiḥ śaucaparaiḥ satataṃ brahmacāribhiḥ bhavitavyaṃ bhavadbhiśca mayā ca śrāddhakāriṇā //

Translation

Those who perform the śrāddha should always be free from anger, devoted to purity, and steadfast in continence (brahmacarya); thus should you be, and thus should I too be, as one undertaking the ancestral rite.

Word by Word

• अक्रोधनैः (akrodhanaiḥ): by those free from anger

• शौचपरैः (śaucaparaiḥ): devoted to cleanliness/purity

• सततम् (satataṃ): always, continually

• ब्रह्मचारिभिः (brahmacāribhiḥ): by those practicing brahmacarya/continence

• भवितव्यम् (bhavitavyam): it should be so, one must be

• भवद्भिः (bhavadbhiḥ): by you (plural/with you)

• च (ca): and

• मया (mayā): by me

• च (ca): also

• श्राद्धकारिणा (śrāddhakāriṇā): by the performer of śrāddha/ancestral offering

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, on proper śrāddha conduct)

Entities Mentioned

• Matsya
• Vaivasvata Manu
• Śrāddha

Tags

• Śrāddha
• Dharma
• Ācāra
• Purity
• Brahmacarya

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it lays down ethical and bodily discipline (angerlessness, purity, continence) required for performing śrāddha effectively.

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

It frames śrāddha as a dharmic duty requiring self-restraint: a householder (and even a ruler) must control anger, maintain ritual cleanliness, and observe brahmacarya during the rite to honor ancestors and sustain social-religious order.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual-ethical rather than architectural: the performer’s inner state and external purity are treated as prerequisites for śrāddha, implying that correct conduct is as essential as correct offerings.