Shloka 67

Matsya Purana — The Attendant Hosts of the Sun and Moon: Monthly Gaṇas

Devanagari script

ततः पञ्चदशे भागे किंचिच्छेषे निशाकरे ततो ऽपराह्णे पितरो जघन्यदिवसे पुनः //

Transliteration

tataḥ pañcadaśe bhāge kiṃciccheṣe niśākare tato 'parāhṇe pitaro jaghanyadivase punaḥ //

Translation

Then, when the Moon has only a slight remainder in its fifteenth portion (that is, when the phase is nearly complete), and thereafter again in the afternoon on the final day, the Pitṛs (ancestral spirits) are to be invoked and receive the offerings once more.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereafter

• pañcadaśe bhāge: in the fifteenth part (the fifteenth lunar division/phase)

• kiṃcit-śeṣe: with a little remainder, slightly remaining

• niśākare: in the moon (lit. night-maker), at the time of the moon

• tataḥ: then

• aparāhṇe: in the afternoon

• pitaraḥ: the Fathers/ancestors (Pitṛs)

• jaghanya-divase: on the last/final day

• punaḥ: again

Speaker

• Sūta (narrator) conveying the Matsya Purana’s ritual injunctions (Śrāddha/Pitṛ-rites)

Entities Mentioned

• Pitṛs

Tags

• Shraddha
• Pitrs
• RitualTiming
• Tithi
• Dharma

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it gives a ritual timing rule for Pitṛ-offerings, specifying auspicious windows tied to the lunar division and the afternoon period.

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

It supports the householder’s dharma of honoring ancestors through properly timed Śrāddha; for rulers too, correct public adherence to such rites is part of sustaining social-religious order (dharma).

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual (not architectural): it prescribes the proper time—near the completion of the lunar phase and again in aparāhṇa on the final day—for inviting the Pitṛs and offering Śrāddha.