Shloka 8

Matsya Purana — The Kauśika Descendants: Śrāddha

Devanagari script

चक्रे समाहितः श्राद्धम् उपयुज्य च तां पुनः द्वौ दैवे भ्रातरौ कृत्वा पित्रे त्रीनप्यनुक्रमात् //

Transliteration

cakre samāhitaḥ śrāddham upayujya ca tāṃ punaḥ dvau daive bhrātarau kṛtvā pitre trīnapyanukramāt //

Translation

Composed and attentive, he performed the Śrāddha; then, using that prepared offering again, he first allotted two portions to the divine recipients, and thereafter, in due order, three portions to the Pitṛs (ancestral fathers).

Word by Word

• चक्रे: performed/undertook

• समाहितः: collected in mind, composed, attentive

• श्राद्धम्: the śrāddha rite (ancestral offering)

• उपयुज्य: having used/employed (as an offering)

• च: and

• ताम्: that (offering/substance)

• पुनः: again/thereafter

• द्वौ: two

• दैवे: for the gods/divine recipients (daiva)

• भ्रातरौ: the two ‘brothers’/paired recipients (a dual expression indicating a pair)

• कृत्वा: having made/assigned

• पित्रे: for the Pitṛs/for the father(s), ancestral line

• त्रीन्: three

• अपि: also/even

• अनुक्रमात्: in sequence, according to proper order.

Speaker

• Likely Lord Matsya instructing Vaivasvata Manu (ritual-dharma discourse context)

Entities Mentioned

• Pitṛs
• Daiva (divine recipients)

Tags

• Śrāddha
• Pitṛ-yajña
• Ritual order
• Householder duties
• Dharma

FAQs

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

This verse does not address Pralaya; it focuses on ritual dharma—specifically the correct sequencing of offerings in a Śrāddha for divine recipients and the Pitṛs.

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

It frames Śrāddha as a disciplined duty (performed with a composed mind) and emphasizes proper allotment and order—key expectations for a householder (and a king as chief householder) in maintaining ancestral obligations and social-religious continuity.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual: it specifies the distribution pattern—two portions for daiva recipients and then three for the Pitṛs, given sequentially—highlighting procedural correctness in Śrāddha offerings.