Shloka 27

Devanagari script

तिलैः सप्ताष्टभिर् वापि समवेताञ् जलाञ्जलीन् भक्तिनम्रः समुद्दिश्य भुव्य् अस्माकं प्रदास्यति

Transliteration

tilaiḥ saptāṣṭabhir vāpi samavetāñ jalāñjalīn bhaktinamraḥ samuddiśya bhuvy asmākaṃ pradāsyati

Translation

Even with only seven or eight sesame seeds, if one—humbled by devotion—gathers water into joined palms and, with reverent intention, offers those libations upon the earth, he truly bestows that gift upon us, the ancestors.

Word by Word

• तिलैः: with sesame seeds
• तिलैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Instrumental plural)

• सप्त-अष्टभिः: with seven or eight
• सप्त-अष्टभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + अष्ट (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्वसमास (इतरेतर); तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषणम् (with seven or eight [seeds])

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक निपात (or)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय निपात (also/even)

• समवेतान्: collected together
• समवेतान्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-इ (धातु) → समवेत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (collected/together)

• जल-अञ्जलीन्: handfuls of water (water-offerings)
• जल-अञ्जलीन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + अञ्जलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Accusative plural)

• भक्ति-नम्रः: devotionally humble
• भक्ति-नम्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + नम्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (humble with devotion)

• समुद्दिश्य: having dedicated (them)
• समुद्दिश्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उद्-दिश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund): having dedicated/aimed (to)

• भुवि: on the ground
• भुवि: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक: भुव्/भूमि-पर्याय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Locative singular)

• अस्माकम्: of us / for us
• अस्माकम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Genitive plural pronoun)

• प्रदास्यति: will offer
• प्रदास्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple future), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (he will offer/give)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Pitṛ-tarpaṇa with minimal tilas and water; efficacy through intention (samuddiśya)

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even seven or eight sesame seeds with water offered on the earth, when dedicated with devotion, truly reaches the intended recipients (pitṛs), showing the primacy of saṅkalpa and śraddhā.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: When constrained, perform simplified ancestral remembrance/charity with clear intention and reverence rather than abandoning the rite entirely.

Vishishtadvaita: Intentional dedication (uddeśa/saṅkalpa) works because the divine order—ultimately governed by Nārāyaṇa—connects act, offering, and recipient.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Sesame (tila)
• Water libation (jala-anjali)

FAQs

What is the significance of offering sesame and water (tilā-jalāñjali) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse teaches that even a small offering—water libations with a few sesame seeds—when sincerely dedicated, is received by the ancestors, emphasizing intention and devotion over quantity.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the role of devotion in śrāddha rites?

By using the phrase bhakti-namraḥ, Parāśara highlights that humility and devotional intent are what make the offering effective; the ritual becomes meaningful through heartfelt dedication.

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

Within the Vishnu Purana’s dharma framework, such rites uphold cosmic order under Vishnu’s sovereignty; honoring the pitṛs is part of maintaining the divinely sustained social and moral universe.