Shloka 2

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

Devanagari script

त्रिणाचिकेतस् त्रिमधुस् त्रिसुपर्णः षडङ्गवित् वेदविच् छ्रोत्रियो योगी तथा वै ज्येष्ठसामगः

Transliteration

triṇāciketas trimadhus trisuparṇaḥ ṣaḍaṅgavit vedavic chrotriyo yogī tathā vai jyeṣṭhasāmagaḥ

Translation

He is one who has thrice kindled the sacred Nāciketa fire; one who has thrice tasted the sweetness of Vedic wisdom; one who has mastered the three Suparṇa hymns; a knower of the six Vedāṅgas; a true knower of the Veda; a disciplined śrotriya grounded in śruti; a yogin established in inner union; and indeed, one perfected in the highest Sāman chants.

Word by Word

• त्रि: three
• त्रि: None
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक (numeral) समासपूर्वपद

• णाचिकेताः: performer of the Nāciketa (fire-rite)
• णाचिकेताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाचिकेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेष्य (one qualified as ‘tri-’)

• त्रि: three
• त्रि: None
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक समासपूर्वपद

• मधुः: (knower of) the three Madhu (hymns/sections)
• मधुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेष्य

• त्रि: three
• त्रि: None
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक समासपूर्वपद

• सुपर्णः: (knower of) the three Suparṇa (hymns)
• सुपर्णः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुपर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेष्य

• षट्: six
• षट्: None
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षट् (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक समासपूर्वपद

• अङ्ग: limb
• अङ्ग: Upapada (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समासमध्यपद)

• वित्: knower
• वित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद् (धातु) + क्विप् → वित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तृवाचक (knower)

• वेद: Veda
• वेद: Upapada (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (समासपूर्वपद)

• वित्: knower
• वित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद् (धातु) + क्विप् → वित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तृवाचक

• श्रोत्रियः: Veda-trained Brahmin (śrotriya)
• श्रोत्रियः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रोत्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेष्य (qualified Brahmin)

• योगी: yogi
• योगी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• तथा: also
• तथा: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक (adverb/conjunction: ‘also/likewise’)

• वै: indeed
• वै: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थ/पादपूरण (emphatic particle)

• ज्येष्ठ: chief/eldest
• ज्येष्ठ: None
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्येष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद; विशेषण (eldest/foremost)

• सामगः: Sāma-chanter (sāmaga)
• सामगः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सामग (प्रातिपदिक; सामन् + ग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सामवेदगायक/पाठक

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Definition of the ideal śrāddha-brāhmaṇa: Vedic fires, Vedic mastery, Vedāṅgas, śrotriya status, yoga, and Sāman excellence.

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The most worthy śrāddha-recipient unites ritual competence (fires, chants), scriptural learning (Veda, Vedāṅgas), and inner realization (yoga, śrotriya discipline).

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Seek integrated spirituality: combine study, ethical conduct, disciplined practice, and contemplative steadiness rather than one-sided religiosity.

Vishishtadvaita: Harmony of pravṛtti (ritual duty) and nivṛtti (inner yoga) reflects a Viśiṣṭādvaita-friendly synthesis where devotion and disciplined action coexist under the Lord’s order.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Veda
• Vedangas
• Naciketa fire (Agni rite)
• Sama Veda (Saman chants)
• Shruti tradition (Shrotriya)

FAQs

What is the significance of tri-nāciketa, tri-madhu, and tri-suparṇa in the Vishnu Purana?

They mark an ideal of Vedic mastery—ritual accomplishment (Nāciketa fire), assimilation of Vedic ‘sweet essence’ (madhu), and proficiency in specific revered hymns (Suparṇa)—signaling complete religious and contemplative qualification.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the model of an ideal spiritual authority here?

By listing both outer credentials (Veda, Vedāṅgas, śrotriya lineage, Sāman chanting) and inner attainment (yoga), Parāśara frames authority as a union of revelation-based learning and realized discipline.

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

The verse supports the Purāṇic view that dharma—rooted in Veda, right practice, and yogic steadiness—is the order through which Vishnu’s sovereignty is mirrored in society and sustained across cosmic ages.