Shloka 34
Pātra-Nirṇaya and Ritual Procedure: Who to Feed, Who to Avoid, and Step-by-Step Śrāddha Performance
पिता पितामहश् चैव तथैव प्रपितामहः तृप्तिं प्रयान्तु पिण्डेन मया दत्तेन भूतले
pitā pitāmahaś caiva tathaiva prapitāmahaḥ tṛptiṃ prayāntu piṇḍena mayā dattena bhūtale
May my father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather attain satisfaction through this piṇḍa-offering that I have placed upon the earth.
Sage Parāśara (instructing Maitreya on śrāddha mantras and procedure)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Śrāddha/ancestral rites—how offerings (piṇḍa) should be made for pitṛs
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Performing śrāddha with proper intention supports pitṛ-tarpaṇa and sustains dharma through ordained action.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Honor ancestors through disciplined remembrance, charity/feeding, and responsible family duties done without ostentation.
Vishishtadvaita: Ritual action is meaningful because the cosmos is ordered under the Lord’s governance; dharma is service within His constituted order.
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse frames piṇḍa-dāna as a direct means of granting “tṛpti” (satisfaction) to one’s paternal ancestors, sustaining lineage-duty (pitṛ-ṛṇa) within dharma.
He presents śrāddha as a structured act of offering—placed on the earth and dedicated by intention/mantra—so that the immediate three paternal generations receive contentment through the rite.
Even in ritual instruction, the Vishnu Purana situates dharma as part of cosmic governance—ancestral rites uphold order and continuity ultimately under Vishnu’s supreme sustaining power.