Shloka 17

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

Devanagari script

प्राङ्मुखान् भोजयेद् विप्रान् देवानाम् उभयात्मकान् पितृपैतामहानां च भोजयेच् चाप्य् उदङ्मुखान्

Transliteration

prāṅmukhān bhojayed viprān devānām ubhayātmakān pitṛpaitāmahānāṃ ca bhojayec cāpy udaṅmukhān

Translation

Facing east, he should feed the Brāhmaṇas who embody the Devas; and facing north, he should likewise feed those who represent the Pitṛs and the ancestral grandsires.

Word by Word

• प्राङ्मुखान्: east-facing
• प्राङ्मुखान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राङ् (अव्यय/दिक्शब्द) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (प्राङ् मुखाः = east-facing)

• भोजयेत्: should feed
• भोजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; णिच्-प्रयोगः (causative: feed)

• विप्रान्: Brahmins
• विप्रान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• उभयात्मकान्: having a dual nature (both kinds)
• उभयात्मकान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उभय (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन्/आत्मक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (उभयस्य आत्मा/आत्मकाः = of dual nature)

• पितृपैतामहानाम्: of the fathers and grandfathers (paternal ancestors)
• पितृपैतामहानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + पैतामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (पितरश्च पैतामहाश्च)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपातः (and)

• भोजयेत्: should feed
• भोजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; णिच्-प्रयोगः (causative: feed)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपातः (and)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-निपातः (also/indeed)

• उदङ्मुखान्: north-facing
• उदङ्मुखान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उदङ् (अव्यय/दिक्शब्द) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (उदङ् मुखाः = north-facing)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ritual directionality embodies cosmic correspondence: honoring Devas and Pitṛs through proper orientation integrates household action with universal order.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Treat symbolic disciplines (direction, timing, cleanliness) as mindfulness tools that train attention and reverence, not as empty superstition.

Vishishtadvaita: Cosmic order is meaningful because it is the Lord’s body (śarīra) and governance; ritual correspondences reflect His immanent structuring of the world.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman (philosophical)

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Devas
• Pitṛs
• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the significance of facing east or north while feeding during Śrāddha in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse links direction with ritual intention: east-facing feeding is aligned with honoring the Devas, while north-facing feeding is prescribed for honoring the Pitṛs and ancestral grandsires, maintaining dharmic order in the rite.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the role of Brāhmaṇas in offerings to Devas and Pitṛs?

Parāśara presents learned Brāhmaṇas as ritual embodiments/representatives through whom offerings are properly conveyed—making the act of feeding a sanctioned medium for reaching gods and ancestors.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in this verse, the Purāṇic framework treats dharma and right ritual as part of Vishnu’s sustaining sovereignty—ordered action that preserves harmony between divine, ancestral, and human spheres.