Shloka 19
श्राद्ध-योग्य द्रव्य, निषेध, तथा गयाश्राद्ध-माहात्म्य (Śrāddha Materials, Prohibitions, and the Glory of Gayā)
अपि नः स कुले जायाद् यो नो दद्यात् त्रयोदशीम् पायसं मधुसर्पिभ्यां वर्षासु च मघासु च
api naḥ sa kule jāyād yo no dadyāt trayodaśīm pāyasaṃ madhusarpibhyāṃ varṣāsu ca maghāsu ca
May no one be born in our lineage who would deny us the sacred observance of the thirteenth lunar day, nor offer the sweet pāyasa mixed with honey and ghee—especially in the rainy season and when the asterism Maghā prevails.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya on dharma, gifts, and observances)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Merit-bearing times and omissions in śrāddha/vrata that harm ancestral welfare
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: admonitory and precise
Concept: Neglect of prescribed ancestral observances—especially at auspicious tithis/nakṣatras—signals a breach of sadācāra and is treated as a grave deficiency in lineage responsibility.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Keep periodic duties (family obligations, remembrance days, charity) reliably; treat timing and intention as disciplines that train steadiness and gratitude.
Vishishtadvaita: Ritual duty is framed as participation in the Lord-governed moral order; faithful observance expresses dependence and gratitude within His śeṣa-śeṣi relation.
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse presents Trayodaśī as a highly meritorious sacred time whose observance and associated giving are considered essential duties; neglect of such giving is condemned as unworthy of one’s lineage.
By highlighting the rainy season and Maghā, Parāśara indicates that dharmic acts gain special efficacy when aligned with auspicious calendrical markers, reinforcing cosmic order through disciplined practice.
Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇic framework treats such vrata and dāna as supports of dharma—ultimately upheld by Vishnu as the sovereign ground of order—so ritual duty becomes a way of participating in his sustaining power.