Shloka 29

Devanagari script

पितॄणां प्रीणनार्थाय त्रिर् अपः पृथिवीपते पितामहेभ्यश् च तथा प्रीणयेत् प्रपितामहान्

Transliteration

pitṝṇāṃ prīṇanārthāya trir apaḥ pṛthivīpate pitāmahebhyaś ca tathā prīṇayet prapitāmahān

Translation

O lord of the earth, for the satisfaction of the Pitṛs one should offer water three times; and in the same manner, one should also gladden the grandfathers and great-grandfathers through these libations.

Word by Word

• पितॄणाम्: of the ancestors (pitṛs)
• पितॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• प्रीणन-अर्थाय: for the purpose of pleasing
• प्रीणन-अर्थाय: Sampradana (Purpose/Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रीणन (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः

• त्रिः: thrice
• त्रिः: Avyaya (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्रिः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• अपः: waters (libations)
• अपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• पृथिवीपते: O lord of the earth (king)
• पृथिवीपते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवीपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (पृथिव्याः पतिः)

• पितामहेभ्यः: to the grandfathers
• पितामहेभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Avyaya (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• प्रीणयेत्: should please/satisfy
• प्रीणयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रीण् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• प्रपितामहान्: the great-grandfathers
• प्रपितामहान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रपितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in dialogue, instructing Maitreya; addressing the kingly ideal as 'pṛthivīpati')

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Tarpaṇa specifically for pitṛs across three ancestral generations

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: One should satisfy pitṛs by offering water three times, extending the libations to fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers in ordered sequence.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate gratitude and responsibility to family lineage—honor predecessors through remembrance, ethical living, and supportive care for elders.

Vishishtadvaita: The self is relational (śeṣa) within a divinely ordered network of duties; honoring pitṛs supports the dharmic fabric sustained by Nārāyaṇa.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestral spirits)
• Pitāmaha (grandfathers)
• Prapitāmaha (great-grandfathers)

FAQs

What is the significance of offering water (tarpana) to the Pitṛs in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames tarpana as a dharmic act meant to “satisfy” the ancestors, reinforcing familial continuity and social order that supports the wider cosmic order upheld by Vishnu.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the proper manner of honoring ancestors here?

Parāśara specifies a structured, repeated offering—water given three times—and extends the rite beyond the immediate ancestors to include grandfathers and great-grandfathers.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named, the Vishnu Purana presents dharma—such as ancestral rites—as a means by which beings align with the sustaining principle of reality, ultimately rooted in Vishnu as the supreme ground of order.