Shloka 56

Matsya Purana — Śrāddha Procedure: Types

Devanagari script

पुनर् भोजनमध्वानं यानमायासमैथुनम् श्राद्धकृच्छ्राद्धभुक्चैव सर्वमेतद्विवर्जयेत् //

Transliteration

punar bhojanamadhvānaṃ yānamāyāsamaithunam śrāddhakṛcchrāddhabhukcaiva sarvametadvivarjayet //

Translation

One should avoid all of the following: eating again (a second meal), long travel, riding or vehicular movement, exhausting exertion, sexual intercourse, undertaking a Śrāddha-related austerity (kṛcchra), and eating the food offered in a Śrāddha.

Word by Word

• punar: again

• bhojanam: eating/meal

• adhvānam: journey/long travel

• yānam: riding/going by conveyance

• āyāsa: fatigue, strenuous exertion

• maithunam: sexual intercourse

• śrāddha: ancestral rite

• kṛcchra: a penitential austerity/fast

• śrāddha-bhuk: one who eats the Śrāddha food/offerings

• ca eva: and indeed

• sarvam etat: all this

• vivarjayet: should avoid/should refrain from.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, as part of dharma-ācāra teaching)

Entities Mentioned

• Śrāddha
• Pitṛs (implied)

Tags

• Dharma
• Ācāra
• Śrāddha
• Ritual purity
• Householder duties

FAQs

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

This verse does not address pralaya; it focuses on personal discipline and purity rules connected with Śrāddha (ancestral rites).

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

It gives ācāra (conduct) restrictions—avoiding repeat eating, travel, exertion, and sexual activity—so a householder (and by extension a ruler observing dharma) maintains ritual purity and mental steadiness when connected with Śrāddha observances.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual: it lists actions to be avoided in connection with Śrāddha, emphasizing restraint and purity; it has no direct Vāstu or temple-architecture instruction.