Shloka 25

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

Devanagari script

तस्माद् अभ्यर्चयेत् प्राप्तं श्राद्धकाले ऽतिथिं बुधः श्राद्धक्रियाफलं हन्ति नरेन्द्रापूजितो ऽतिथिः

Transliteration

tasmād abhyarcayet prāptaṃ śrāddhakāle 'tithiṃ budhaḥ śrāddhakriyāphalaṃ hanti narendrāpūjito 'tithiḥ

Translation

Therefore, at the time of śrāddha, the wise should reverently honor the guest who arrives; for a guest not received with due respect—fit even for a king—destroys the very fruit of the śrāddha rite.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तस्मात् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक तद्)
• Form: अव्यय (particle/adverbial), हेतौ/तस्मात् = 'therefore/from that reason'

• अभ्यर्चयेत्: should worship/honor
• अभ्यर्चयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि+अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• प्राप्तम्: arrived, obtained (one who has come)
• प्राप्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राप्त (कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय, √प्राप्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• श्राद्धकाले: at the time of śrāddha
• श्राद्धकाले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध-काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• अतिथिम्: guest
• अतिथिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• बुधः: a wise man
• बुधः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• श्राद्धक्रियाफलम्: the fruit/result of the śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धक्रियाफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध-क्रिया-फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• हन्ति: destroys
• हन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• नरेन्द्रापूजितः: not honored by a king
• नरेन्द्रापूजितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नरेन्द्र-अपूजित (प्रातिपदिक); नरेन्द्र (राजन्+इन्द्र, प्रातिपदिक) + अपूजित (कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय, √पूज् with अ-निषेध)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• अतिथिः: a guest
• अतिथिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Proper śrāddha conduct, especially honoring the arriving atithi so the rite bears fruit

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Śrāddha bears fruit only when the arriving guest is duly received and honored; neglect of atithi nullifies the intended merit.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: When performing rituals or charity, prioritize respectful reception and service to guests/elders/teachers; make courtesy part of spiritual practice.

Vishishtadvaita: Ritual action (karma) becomes efficacious when suffused with devotion and honor toward those connected to the Lord (Brāhmaṇas/atithis), aligning external rite with inner bhakti.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Atithi (guest)
• Narendra (king)
• Pitṛs (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the significance of honoring an atithi during śrāddha in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse teaches that hospitality is integral to śrāddha: receiving and honoring a guest safeguards the rite’s merit, while neglect undermines its intended fruit.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the loss of śrāddha merit here?

In Parāśara’s instruction to Maitreya, the śrāddha’s efficacy depends on dharmic conduct; an unhonored guest is said to ‘destroy’ the ritual’s result, emphasizing ethics as part of ritual correctness.

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

Even when discussing social rites, the Vishnu Purana frames dharma as participation in cosmic order upheld by the Supreme Reality (Vishnu); right action (like honoring guests) aligns the rite with that sustaining order.