Shloka 3

Matsya Purana — Śrāddha Procedure: Types

Devanagari script

कस्मिन्दत्तं कथं याति श्राद्धं तु मधुसूदन विधिना केन कर्तव्यं कथं प्रीणाति तत्पितॄन् //

Transliteration

kasmindattaṃ kathaṃ yāti śrāddhaṃ tu madhusūdana vidhinā kena kartavyaṃ kathaṃ prīṇāti tatpitṝn //

Translation

O Madhusūdana, when a śrāddha offering is given, to whom does it truly go, and by what means does it reach them? By which prescribed procedure should it be performed, and in what way does it gratify the Pitṛs, the ancestral fathers?

Word by Word

• kasmin: in/unto whom

• dattam: given/offered

• katham: how

• yāti: goes/reaches

• śrāddham: the śrāddha rite/ancestral offering

• tu: indeed

• madhusūdana: O Madhusūdana (Vişṇu)

• vidhinā: by the rule/prescribed method

• kena: by which (means/rite)

• kartavyam: should be done/ought to be performed

• katham: how

• prīṇāti: pleases/satisfies

• tat: those

• pitṝn: the Pitṛs/ancestors

Speaker

• Vaivasvata Manu (addressing Lord Matsya/Vishnu as Madhusūdana)

Entities Mentioned

• Madhusūdana
• Pitṛs
• Śrāddha

Tags

• Śrāddha
• Pitṛs
• Ritual Procedure
• Householder Dharma
• Matsya Purana Dharma

FAQs

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

This verse does not discuss pralaya; it opens a dharma-focused inquiry into how śrāddha offerings reach the Pitṛs and what procedure makes them effective.

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

It frames śrāddha as a required duty (kartavya) and asks for the correct recipient and method—central to gṛhastha-dharma and also to a king’s obligation to uphold proper Vedic-Puranic rites in society.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual: it asks for the correct śrāddha-vidhi—who should be fed/offered to, how the offering ‘reaches’ the ancestors, and what makes the rite truly pleasing to the Pitṛs.