Shloka 10

Pātra-Nirṇaya and Ritual Procedure: Who to Feed, Who to Avoid, and Step-by-Step Śrāddha Performance

Devanagari script

ततः क्रोधव्यवायादीन् आयासं च द्विजैः सह यजमानो न कुर्वीत दोषस् तत्र महान् अयम्

Transliteration

tataḥ krodhavyavāyādīn āyāsaṃ ca dvijaiḥ saha yajamāno na kurvīta doṣas tatra mahān ayam

Translation

Thereafter, the sacrificer should not—together with the twice-born priests—give way to anger, sexual intercourse, and such impulses, nor to exhausting exertion; for the fault in these matters is indeed great.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय; तद्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अपादान/क्रमबोधकः (thereafter/from that)

• krodhavyavāyādīn: anger, sexual intercourse, and the like
• krodhavyavāyādīn: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: krodha + vyavāya + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचनम्; द्वन्द्व-समासः (krodha-vyavāya) + ādi ('anger, sexual intercourse, etc.')

• āyāsam: exertion / strain
• āyāsam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचनम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• dvijaiḥ: with the twice-born (Brahmins)
• dvijaiḥ: Sahakari (सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचनम्

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakari (सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अर्थक-अव्ययम् (postposition/adverb: 'together with')

• yajamānaḥ: the performer (host)
• yajamānaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajamāna (प्रातिपदिक; √yaj (धातु) से)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; कर्तृवाचकः (the sacrificer/host)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्ययम् (negation particle)

• kurvīta: should do / should commit
• kurvīta: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative/विधिलिङ्), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• doṣaḥ: fault
• doṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: doṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्

• tatra: there / in that case
• tatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/प्रसङ्गवाचक-अव्ययम् (locative adverb: 'there/in that case')

• mahān: great
• mahān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• ayam: this
• ayam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Conduct restraints during śrāddha: avoidance of anger, sexual activity, and exhausting exertion with officiating dvijas.

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: admonitory

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ritual purity requires mastery over krodha and kāma and avoidance of fatigue that disturbs sattva during sacred observances.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: During spiritual commitments, reduce agitation (anger), sensory indulgence, and overwork; protect calm attention and ethical intention.

Vishishtadvaita: Sattva-śuddhi as a prerequisite for bhagavad-ārādhana: disciplined body-mind becomes fit to serve the Lord through dharma.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Dvijas (twice-born Brahmins)
• Yajamāna (sacrificer)

FAQs

What is the significance of self-control (restraint from anger and sex) in the Vishnu Purana’s yajna context?

This verse treats anger, sexual indulgence, and similar impulses as major sources of ritual blemish (doṣa); restraint preserves purity and the intended spiritual efficacy of the sacrifice.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the practical discipline required of the yajamāna?

Parāśara frames discipline as shared: the yajamāna, together with the dvija officiants, must avoid behaviors and conditions (like rage and exhaustion) that destabilize attention, purity, and correctness in the rite.

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

By safeguarding yajna through disciplined conduct, the sacrificer supports dharma and cosmic order—domains preserved by Vishnu—so the rite aligns with the Purana’s vision of Vishnu as the sustaining Supreme Reality.