Shloka 37
Pātra-Nirṇaya and Ritual Procedure: Who to Feed, Who to Avoid, and Step-by-Step Śrāddha Performance
यज्ञेश्वरो हव्यसमस्तकव्य भोक्ताव्ययात्मा हरिर् ईश्वरो ऽत्र तत्संनिधानाद् अपयान्तु सद्यो रक्षांस्य् अशेषाण्य् असुराश् च सर्वे
yajñeśvaro havyasamastakavya bhoktāvyayātmā harir īśvaro 'tra tatsaṃnidhānād apayāntu sadyo rakṣāṃsy aśeṣāṇy asurāś ca sarve
Here is Hari, the Lord of sacrifice—He who receives and enjoys every oblation and every offering to the ancestors; the imperishable Self, the sovereign God present in this rite. By the sheer nearness of Him, may all rākṣasas depart at once, and may all asuras without exception be driven far away.
Sage Parāśara (teaching within a protective/ritual context, addressed in the narrative frame to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Who is the true recipient of havis and kavya, and how divine presence protects the rite
Teaching: Devotional
Quality: revealing
Concept: Hari as yajñeśvara is the imperishable enjoyer of all oblations (havis) and ancestral offerings (kavya), and His presence itself repels adharmic forces.
Vedantic Theme: Brahman
Application: Approach rituals and daily duties as offerings to the Lord; cultivate God-consciousness as a protective, purifying presence.
Vishishtadvaita: Vishnu is both transcendent Lord and immanent presence in the rite (antaryāmin), making sacramental action real and efficacious within His body-cosmos.
Vishnu Form: Hari
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Antaryamin: Yes
FAQs
It identifies Vishnu as the presiding Lord and inner recipient of sacrifice—making ritual effective not merely by procedure but by the Supreme Presence who receives all offerings.
Protection is grounded in divine immanence: the mere proximity (saṃnidhāna) of Hari causes rākṣasas and asuras to flee, emphasizing sovereignty over all beings.
It expresses a core Vaiṣṇava claim: all sacred offerings—whether to devas (havya) or Pitṛs (kavya)—ultimately reach and are sustained by Vishnu as the supreme enjoyer and imperishable Self.