Shloka 18

श्राद्ध-योग्य द्रव्य, निषेध, तथा गयाश्राद्ध-माहात्म्य (Śrāddha Materials, Prohibitions, and the Glory of Gayā)

Devanagari script

अपि नस् ते भविष्यन्ति कुले सन्मार्गशीलिनः गयाम् उपेत्य ये पिण्डान् दास्यन्त्य् अस्माकम् आदरात्

Transliteration

api nas te bhaviṣyanti kule sanmārgaśīlinaḥ gayām upetya ye piṇḍān dāsyanty asmākam ādarāt

Translation

May there arise in our lineage those steadfast on the righteous path, who, coming to Gayā, will reverently offer piṇḍa-obsequies for us.

Word by Word

• अपि: indeed / may it be
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), सम्भावना/आशीर्वादार्थे (expressing wish/possibility)

• नः: of us / our
• नः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural) — enclitic form

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular) — enclitic form

• भविष्यन्ति: will be / will come to be
• भविष्यन्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural); परस्मैपद

• कुले: in the lineage/family
• कुले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• सन्मार्गशीलिनः: those devoted to the good path/right conduct
• सन्मार्गशीलिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत् + मार्ग + शीलिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण (qualifying implied 'जनाः')

• गयाम्: to Gayā (place)
• गयाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• उपेत्य: having gone/approached
• उपेत्य: Kriya (Gerundial action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-इ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal) — ‘having approached’

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पिण्डान्: funeral rice-balls (piṇḍas)
• पिण्डान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• दास्यन्ति: will give/offer
• दास्यन्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural); परस्मैपद

• अस्माकम्: to us / for us
• अस्माकम्: Sampradana (Beneficiary/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• आदरात्: out of respect
• आदरात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन (Singular) — हेतौ (cause)

Speaker

Genealogical narrator within the Parāśara–Maitreya discourse (a voiced ancestral aspiration/blessing in the dynasty narrative)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Sadācāra, śrāddha duties, and how descendants sustain ancestors through piṇḍa offerings

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Lineage-dharma is fulfilled when descendants follow the righteous path and sustain the pitṛs through prescribed śrāddha rites at sanctified tīrthas.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Honor ancestors through remembrance and ethical living; if one follows Hindu practice, perform śrāddha/charity with sincerity, especially at sacred places or in their spirit.

Vishishtadvaita: Dharma as service (kainkarya) within a divinely ordered cosmos: family duties are not separate from devotion but participate in the Lord’s sustaining order.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Gayā
• Piṇḍa (ancestral offering)
• Kula (lineage)

FAQs

What is the significance of Gayā and piṇḍa offerings in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse treats Gayā as a preeminent tīrtha where descendants sustain ancestral welfare through piṇḍa offerings, linking family continuity with dharmic cosmic order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain dharma through dynasty narratives?

By embedding ideals like sanmārga (the righteous path) and śrāddha duties into genealogies, the dialogue shows that kingship and lineage are measured by ongoing dharmic conduct and obligations to ancestors.

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

Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana frames dharma, tīrthas, and śrāddha as operating under Vishnu’s sovereign order—where righteous action supports both worldly lineage and higher spiritual welfare.