Shloka 55

Matsya Purana — Śrāddha Procedure: Types

Devanagari script

वैश्वदेवं ततः कुर्यान् निवृत्ते पितृकर्मणि इष्टैः सह ततः शान्तो भुञ्जीत पितृसेवितम् //

Transliteration

vaiśvadevaṃ tataḥ kuryān nivṛtte pitṛkarmaṇi iṣṭaiḥ saha tataḥ śānto bhuñjīta pitṛsevitam //

Translation

When the rite for the Ancestors (pitṛ-karman) has been completed, one should then perform the Vaiśvadeva offering. Thereafter, being composed, one should eat together with one’s dear ones the food that has been offered in service to the Pitṛs.

Word by Word

• vaiśvadevam: the Vaiśvadeva offering (daily oblation to the universal deities/all beings)

• tataḥ: then/thereafter

• kuryāt: should perform

• nivṛtte: when completed/when ended

• pitṛ-karmaṇi: in the ancestral rite (Śrāddha/pitṛ offerings)

• iṣṭaiḥ: with loved ones/dear persons

• saha: together with

• tataḥ: then

• śāntaḥ: calm, composed, tranquil

• bhuñjīta: should eat/partake

• pitṛ-sevitam: that which has been served/offered for the Pitṛs (food connected with ancestral service)

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Pitṛs
• Vaiśvadeva

Tags

• Gṛhastha-dharma
• Śrāddha
• Pitṛ-karman
• Vaiśvadeva
• Ritual order

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya or cosmology; it focuses on ritual discipline—specifically the proper sequencing of ancestral rites and the Vaiśvadeva offering in daily dharma.

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

It outlines gṛhastha-ācāra: after completing pitṛ-karman (Śrāddha-related duty), one should perform Vaiśvadeva and then eat calmly with family/esteemed persons, showing that household life is regulated by ordered offerings and self-control.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual (not architectural): it prescribes the order—Pitṛ-karman first, then Vaiśvadeva, then the composed consumption of food associated with the ancestral offering.