Shloka 29

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

Devanagari script

ततो ऽन्नं मृष्टम् अत्यर्थम् अभीष्टम् अतिसंस्कृतम् दत्त्वा जुषध्वम् इच्छातो वाच्यम् एतद् अनिष्ठुरम्

Transliteration

tato 'nnaṃ mṛṣṭam atyartham abhīṣṭam atisaṃskṛtam dattvā juṣadhvam icchāto vācyam etad aniṣṭhuram

Translation

Then, having offered food—well prepared, most choice, and carefully refined—one should speak gently, without harshness: “Partake of it as you desire.”

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable); अव्यय-प्रकारः: अव्यय-क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• annam: food
• annam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• mṛṣṭam: clean/pure, well-prepared
• mṛṣṭam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √mṛj (धातु) / √mṛṣ (धातु) ‘to cleanse/polish’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; adjectival)

• atyartham: exceedingly, very much
• atyartham: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atyartha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable); क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• abhīṣṭam: desired, pleasing
• abhīṣṭam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abhīṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √iṣ (धातु) ‘to desire’ + abhi-)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; adjectival)

• atisaṃskṛtam: highly refined/very well prepared
• atisaṃskṛtam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati-saṃskṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ (धातु) ‘to do’ with saṃ- + prefix ati-)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्; उपसर्ग-युक्त-कृदन्तम् (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; adjectival; prefixed participial)

• dattvā: having given
• dattvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √dā (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया (having done)

• juṣadhvam: please partake/enjoy
• juṣadhvam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √juṣ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदम् (Imperative, 2nd person, Plural; Ātmanepada)

• icchātaḥ: as you wish/according to desire
• icchātaḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: icchā (प्रातिपदिक) + -tas (तसिल्)
• Form: तसिलन्त-अव्यय (ablatival adverb); अर्थः: ‘इच्छया/इच्छानुसारम्’ (according to desire)

• vācyam: should be said
• vācyam: Kriya (Predicate necessity/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √vac (धातु) + यत् (णीयत्/यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम्; भावे/कर्मणि ‘to be said’ (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; predicative; gerundive)

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (Neuter pronoun, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• aniṣṭhuram: not harsh, gentle
• aniṣṭhuram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aniṣṭhura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; adjectival)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (instructing Maitreya on dharma and proper conduct/ritual etiquette)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Proper procedure and etiquette in offerings (śrāddha/feeding of brāhmaṇas)

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dāna becomes sanctified when the offering is excellent and the speech inviting it is gentle and non-harsh.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Offer food/help with care in preparation and with courteous, non-coercive words.

Vishishtadvaita: Service performed with right intention is offered to the Lord through His ordained recipients, aligning outer act with inner surrender.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

FAQs

What is the significance of offering well-prepared food in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames anna-dāna as a dharmic act: food should be clean, carefully prepared, and offered with respect, reflecting inner purity and social harmony.

How does Sage Parāśara explain gentle speech as part of dharma?

Parāśara links the act of giving with the manner of speaking—one should invite the recipient to partake “as desired,” using words that are explicitly aniṣṭhura (non-harsh), making restraint in speech a component of righteous conduct.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when not named, the Purana’s dharma-teachings function as Vishnu-oriented order: right conduct in giving and speech sustains the world’s harmony, which the text presents as aligned with Vishnu’s sovereign maintenance (sthiti) of cosmic and social order.