Shloka 35
Pātra-Nirṇaya and Ritual Procedure: Who to Feed, Who to Avoid, and Step-by-Step Śrāddha Performance
पिता पितामहश् चैव तथैव प्रपितामहः तृप्तिं प्रयान्तु मे भक्त्या यन् मयैतद् इहाहृतम्
pitā pitāmahaś caiva tathaiva prapitāmahaḥ tṛptiṃ prayāntu me bhaktyā yan mayaitad ihāhṛtam
May my father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather attain full satisfaction through my devotion, by means of this offering that I have brought and presented here.
Sage Parāśara (instructing Maitreya on the proper formulations and intent in Śrāddha rites)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How śrāddha becomes efficacious through bhakti and proper offering
Teaching: Devotional
Quality: revealing
Concept: Ancestral offerings bear fruit not merely by substance but through the offerer’s bhakti and right intention aligned with dharma.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Let remembrance/offerings be infused with gratitude and prayerful attention, not mechanical performance.
Vishishtadvaita: Bhakti is a real mode of relation between jīva and the Lord; intention (bhāva) is efficacious within a divinely ordered sacramental world.
Vishnu Form: Vasudeva
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse reflects the standard ancestral scope of Śrāddha—honoring immediate paternal forebears—so that the offering, made with devotion, is directed to one’s direct lineage and fulfills pitṛ-obligation (pitṛ-ṛṇa).
By explicitly saying “through my devotion,” the verse makes inner intention central: the offering is not merely a material act but a dharmic, reverent dedication that enables the ancestors’ ‘tṛpti’ (satiation/peace).
Even when the verse names ancestors rather than Vishnu directly, the Purana frames dharma and yajña as part of Vishnu’s sustaining order—ritual duty performed with devotion participates in the cosmic sovereignty of the Supreme Preserver.