Shloka 40

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

Devanagari script

पितृतीर्थेन सलिलं दद्याद् अथ जलाञ्जलिम् मातामहेभ्यस् तेनैव पिण्डांस् तीर्थेन निर्वपेत्

Transliteration

pitṛtīrthena salilaṃ dadyād atha jalāñjalim mātāmahebhyas tenaiva piṇḍāṃs tīrthena nirvapet

Translation

With the pitṛ-tīrtha hand-position one should offer water, and then a libation; with that same ritual manner one should also place the piṇḍa-offerings for the maternal grandfathers.

Word by Word

• पितृतीर्थेन: with the ‘pitṛ-tīrtha’ (ancestral hand-position/rite)
• पितृतीर्थेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘पितॄणां तीर्थम्’)

• सलिलम्: water
• सलिलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सलिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• दद्यात्: should give/offer
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अथ: then
• अथ: Discourse connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/समुच्चयार्थक (then/and)

• जलाञ्जलिम्: a handful (añjali) of water
• जलाञ्जलिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल-अञ्जलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-समासार्थ (‘जलस्य अञ्जलिः’ = handful of water)

• मातामहेभ्यः: to the maternal grandfathers
• मातामहेभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान), बहुवचन

• तेन: with that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Emphasis
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis)

• पिण्डान्: piṇḍas
• पिण्डान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), बहुवचन

• तीर्थेन: with the (proper) tīrtha/hand-position
• तीर्थेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन

• निर्वपेत्: should place/offer (scatter)
• निर्वपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्- वप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Technical procedure of śrāddha offerings—pitṛ-tīrtha hand-position, water libations, and extending rites to maternal ancestors

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dharma is maintained through exact ritual gestures and inclusive remembrance, extending offerings to both paternal and maternal lines.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Honor both sides of one’s lineage; cultivate carefulness in small actions (e.g., hand-position, sequence) as a form of mindfulness.

Vishishtadvaita: Ritual order (niyama) embodies a cosmos governed by Bhagavān’s law; remembrance and offering connect the embodied self to a larger sacred whole.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Mātāmahas (maternal grandfathers)

FAQs

What is the significance of pitṛ-tīrtha in the Vishnu Purana?

It denotes the prescribed ritual mode/hand-position used to offer water and oblations to the Pitṛs, ensuring the offering is properly directed according to dharma.

How does Sage Parāśara explain offerings to maternal ancestors here?

He states that the same pitṛ-oriented ritual method used for water libations should also be used to present piṇḍas specifically to the mātāmahas (maternal grandfathers).

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

By prescribing śrāddha duties, the Purāṇa frames dharma as part of the divinely sustained order—ritual obligation becomes a way of aligning household life with the universal governance ultimately rooted in Vishnu.