Shloka 38

उपसंहारः, वैष्णवपुराण-प्रशंसा, फलश्रुति, परम्परा-प्रवहः (पाठ-श्रवण-फलम्)

Devanagari script

ज्येष्ठामूले सिते पक्षे समभ्यर्च्य जनार्दनम् धन्यानां कुलजः पिण्डान् यमुनायां प्रदास्यति

Transliteration

jyeṣṭhāmūle site pakṣe samabhyarcya janārdanam dhanyānāṃ kulajaḥ piṇḍān yamunāyāṃ pradāsyati

Translation

In the bright fortnight at the time of Jyeṣṭhā and Mūla, having duly worshipped Janārdana, one born in a virtuous lineage should offer piṇḍa-oblations into the Yamunā.

Word by Word

• ज्येष्ठामूले: at the beginning of Jyeṣṭhā
• ज्येष्ठामूले: Adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्येष्ठा (प्रातिपदिक) + मूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• सिते: in the bright
• सिते: Adhikarana qualifier
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• पक्षे: fortnight
• पक्षे: Adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समभ्यर्च्य: having duly worshipped
• समभ्यर्च्य: Kriya-visheshaṇa (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+अभि+√अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; पूर्वक्रिया (having duly worshipped)

• जनार्दनम्: Janārdana (Vishnu/Krishna)
• जनार्दनम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• धन्यानाम्: of the blessed
• धन्यानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘धन्य’ = blessed/fortunate (here: of the blessed ones/ancestors)

• कुलजः: one born in the family
• कुलजः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल-ज (प्रातिपदिक); कुल (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (कुलात् जातः)

• पिण्डान्: funeral rice-balls (piṇḍas)
• पिण्डान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• यमुनायाम्: in the Yamunā
• यमुनायाम्: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमुना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रदास्यति: will offer/give
• प्रदास्यति: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+√दा (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Procedure: worship of Janārdana and offering piṇḍa into Yamunā for fruit-bearing śrāddha

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ancestral offerings become truly fruitful when preceded by worship of Janārdana, placing ritual within devotion to the sustainer of dharma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: When doing śrāddha/tarpaṇa, explicitly dedicate the act to Viṣṇu and cultivate remembrance; let devotion be the ‘inner offering’ that sanctifies the outer rite.

Vishishtadvaita: Ritual attains fullness through Bhagavān-sambandha: acts have their highest efficacy when connected to the Lord as the sustaining ground of order.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Janardana (Vishnu)
• Yamuna River
• Pitrs (ancestors, implied by piṇḍa)

FAQs

What is the significance of worshipping Janārdana before offering piṇḍa in the Vishnu Purana?

The verse frames ancestral offerings as spiritually efficacious when preceded by Vishnu-worship, emphasizing Janārdana as the supreme sanctifier of dharma and ritual merit.

How does Sage Parāśara explain proper timing and place for Śrāddha-related acts here?

He specifies an auspicious calendrical moment (Jyeṣṭha-amāvāsyā within the bright fortnight) and a potent tīrtha (the Yamunā), presenting time and sacred geography as integral to ritual correctness.

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

Vishnu appears as Janārdana, the sovereign ground of order: even lineage-based duties like piṇḍa offerings are fulfilled most fully when oriented to the Supreme Reality who upholds the cosmos.