Shloka 29
मायामोह-प्रवर्तन, वेदमार्ग-बहिष्कार, तथा पाषण्ड-संसर्ग-दोषः
Māyāmoha’s Delusion, Rejection of the Vedic Path, and the Fault of Heretical Association
तृप्तये जायते पुंसो भुक्तम् अन्येन चेत् ततः दद्याच् छ्राद्धं श्रद्धयान्नं न वहेयुः प्रवासिनः
tṛptaye jāyate puṃso bhuktam anyena cet tataḥ dadyāc chrāddhaṃ śraddhayānnaṃ na vaheyuḥ pravāsinaḥ
If a man’s satisfaction is to arise even when the food has been eaten by another, still he should offer the śrāddha with faith; and those away from home should not carry such food on their travels.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: The methods by which the Daityas were made to accept heterodox reasoning and abandon Vedic rites
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: revealing
Concept: If satisfaction could accrue to a person from food eaten by another, śrāddha would be redundant or misdirected—hence ritual claims must cohere with agency and intention.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Avoid magical thinking in spiritual practice; ensure offerings, charity, and rites align with clear ethical purpose and accountability.
Vishishtadvaita: Ritual efficacy is not mechanical; it is ordered within the Lord’s moral governance where intention (saṅkalpa) and rightful offering matter.
Vishnu Form: Hari
FAQs
The verse emphasizes that the rite should still be performed “with faith,” highlighting śraddhā as central to the intended appeasement and spiritual purpose of śrāddha even amid practical imperfections.
He indicates that if food has been eaten by someone else, one should nonetheless proceed with the śrāddha faithfully, and he adds a restriction that travellers/sojourners should not carry the śrāddha food while away.
In the Vishnu Purana’s dharma framework, ritual order—including śrāddha—operates within Vishnu’s cosmic sovereignty, where sustaining family, society, and sacred obligation aligns the householder’s acts with the Supreme’s ordained order.