Shloka 28

Devanagari script

पात्रं प्रेतस्य तत्रैकं पैत्रं पात्रत्रयं तथा सेचयेत् पितृपात्रेषु प्रेतपात्रं नृप त्रिषु

Transliteration

pātraṃ pretasya tatraikaṃ paitraṃ pātratrayaṃ tathā secayet pitṛpātreṣu pretapātraṃ nṛpa triṣu

Translation

There, one vessel is to be set for the preta, and likewise three vessels for the Pitṛs. O King, the offering in the preta-vessel should be poured into the three vessels of the Pitṛs.

Word by Word

• pātram: vessel
• pātram: Karma/Viṣaya (Object/topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• pretasya: of the departed (preta)
• pretasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• ekam: one
• ekam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘पात्रम्’ इति विशेषण

• paitram: ancestral/paternal
• paitram: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) → paitra (तद्धित-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘पात्रम्’ इति विशेषण

• pātra-trayam: a set of three vessels
• pātra-trayam: Karma/Viṣaya (Object/topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātra (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; संख्यासमास (त्रयम् = threefold set)

• tathā: also/likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/उपमानार्थक (also/likewise)

• secayet: should pour/sprinkle
• secayet: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sic (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• pitṛ-pātreṣu: in the vessels of the fathers (pitṛs)
• pitṛ-pātreṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Locus)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + pātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• preta-pātram: the preta-vessel
• preta-pātram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक) + pātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• nṛpa: O king
• nṛpa: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• triṣu: in the three
• triṣu: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन; ‘पितृपात्रेषु’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya; the verse itself addresses 'O King' as a conventional vocative in dharma-śāstra style)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Sapīṇḍīkaraṇa procedure: arranging preta- and pitṛ-vessels and transferring the offering

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: precise, procedural

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Sapīṇḍīkaraṇa symbolically merges the departed’s separate claim (preta) into the triad of pitṛs by pouring the preta-offering into the ancestral vessels.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Treat family continuity as a sacred trust: integrate remembrance of the recently departed into ongoing family practices rather than isolating grief.

Vishishtadvaita: The rite enacts ‘śeṣa-śeṣi’ dependence in social form: the individual is integrated into a larger ordered whole sustained by the Lord’s dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Pitrs (ancestors)
• Preta (recently departed)

FAQs

What is the significance of pouring the preta-offering into the three Pitṛ vessels in the Vishnu Purana?

It ritually integrates the newly departed (preta) into the ancestral community (Pitṛs), expressing continuity of lineage and the stabilizing function of śrāddha within dharma.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the structure of śrāddha offerings in this passage?

He specifies distinct vessels—one for the preta and three for the Pitṛs—and instructs that the preta portion be decanted into the three ancestral vessels, indicating a graded ritual movement from individual death to ancestral status.

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

Even in ritual detail, the Vishnu Purana presents dharma as part of cosmic order ultimately upheld by Vishnu; śrāddha becomes a means by which household life aligns with that sustaining sovereignty.