Shloka 42
पितृसर्ग-श्राद्धमाहात्म्य-प्रश्नः
Pitṛ-sarga and the Greatness of Śrāddha: The Inquiry
इत्युक्तवन्तं तं चाहं प्रावोचं त्वं शृणु प्रभो । पितॄणामादिसर्गं च कथयस्व यथातथम्
ityuktavantaṃ taṃ cāhaṃ prāvocaṃ tvaṃ śṛṇu prabho | pitṝṇāmādisargaṃ ca kathayasva yathātatham
When he had spoken thus, I addressed him: “O Lord, listen. Please narrate, exactly as it happened, the primeval origination of the Pitṛs (ancestral Fathers).”
A narrator-disciple within the Umāsaṃhitā dialogue (addressing a revered Lord/teacher)
Tattva Level: pashu
Cosmic Event: primeval origination (ādi-sarga) requested
FAQs
It emphasizes śravaṇa (reverent listening) and truthful transmission of sacred history—preparing the listener to understand cosmic order and ancestral principles within a Shaiva worldview.
By requesting an exact account from the ‘Prabhu’ (revered Lord/teacher), the verse models devotional inquiry toward Saguna authority that ultimately supports understanding Shiva as the source and governor of creation and its lineages.
The direct practice implied is śravaṇa—listening with attention and humility; as a Shaiva takeaway, one may pair such listening with japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” to steady the mind before studying cosmological teachings.