Shloka 12
Śrāddha Vidhi (Pārvaṇa-Śrāddha): Invitations, Arghya, Protective Rites, Piṇḍa Offering, Dakṣiṇā, and Visarjana
ॐ अमुकगोत्रेब्यो ऽस्मत्पितृपितामहेभ्यो यथानामशर्मभ्यः सपत्नीकेभ्यः इदमासनं स्वधा इति ब्राह्मणवामे आसनदानम् / ॐ पितॄनावाहयिष्ये / ॐ / आवाहयेत्युक्ते ॐ उशन्तस्त्वा निधीमह्युशन्तः समिधीमहि / उशन्नु शत आवह पितॄन्हविषे उत्तवे / ॐ आयन्तु नः पितरः सौम्यासो ऽग्निष्वात्ताः पथिभिर्देवयानैः / अस्मिन्यज्ञे स्वधया मदन्तो ऽधिब्रुवन्तु तेवन्त्वस्मान् इत्यावाहनम् / ॐ अपहता सुरा रक्षांसि वेदिषदः इति तिलविकिरणम् / पूर्ववक्त्रमेण स्थापितपात्रेषूदकदानम् / ॐ तिलो ऽसि सोमदेवत्यो गोसवो देवनिर्मितः / प्रत्नमद्भिः पृक्तः स्वधया पितॄंल्लोकान्प्रीणीहि नः स्वाहा इति तिलदानम्
oṃ amukagotrebyo 'smatpitṛpitāmahebhyo yathānāmaśarmabhyaḥ sapatnīkebhyaḥ idamāsanaṃ svadhā iti brāhmaṇavāme āsanadānam / oṃ pitṝnāvāhayiṣye / oṃ / āvāhayetyukte oṃ uśantastvā nidhīmahyuśantaḥ samidhīmahi / uśannu śata āvaha pitṝnhaviṣe uttave / oṃ āyantu naḥ pitaraḥ saumyāso 'gniṣvāttāḥ pathibhirdevayānaiḥ / asminyajñe svadhayā madanto 'dhibruvantu tevantvasmān ityāvāhanam / oṃ apahatā surā rakṣāṃsi vediṣadaḥ iti tilavikiraṇam / pūrvavaktrameṇa sthāpitapātreṣūdakadānam / oṃ tilo 'si somadevatyo gosavo devanirmitaḥ / pratnamadbhiḥ pṛktaḥ svadhayā pitṝṃllokānprīṇīhi naḥ svāhā iti tiladānam
Ofreciendo un asiento a los ancestros, se les invoca: 'Que nuestros gentiles ancestros, los Agniṣvāttas, vengan por los senderos divinos'. Esparciendo semillas de sésamo para alejar a los demonios del altar, se ofrece agua mirando al este, seguida de sésamo mezclado con agua, recitando: 'Eres sésamo, creado por los dioses; alegra a los Pitṛs'.
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda, describing śrāddha procedure)
Afterlife Stage: Svarga
Ritual Type: Parvana
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: Āsana-dāna → Pitṛ-āvāhana → tila-vikīraṇa → udaka-dāna → tila-dāna
Concept: Pitṛs are invited through mantra and svadhā; obstacles (rākṣasa/impurity) are warded off; tila and water nourish Pitṛ-lokas.
Vedantic Theme: Karma as subtle connectivity: mantra + dravya (tila/apas) + bhāva (śraddhā) produce unseen results (adṛṣṭa).
Application: Offer āsana with svadhā, perform Pitṛ-āvāhana with focused recitation, use tila as protective and nourishing substance, keep vessels oriented and orderly.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: ritual altar/vedi
Related Themes: Garuda Purana śrāddha-vidhi: āsana-dāna, āvāhana, tila-vikīraṇa, udaka-dāna, tila-dāna
FAQs
This verse frames āsana-dāna as a formal act of welcoming the Pitṛs through the Brāhmaṇa, offered with the Pitṛ-formula “svadhā,” establishing hospitality and ritual readiness before invocation.
Pitṛ-āhvāna is the ritual invocation asking the ancestors to arrive via “devayāna” paths and partake through svadhā. The Agniṣvātta are a traditional class of Pitṛs associated with being ‘satisfied by fire-offerings,’ invoked for benevolent blessing and protection.
The verse presents tila-vikiraṇa as a protective purification that drives away obstructive forces (rākṣasas) from the altar area, and tila-dāna as an offering connected with Soma that is meant to “gladden the worlds of the Pitṛs,” supporting ancestral satisfaction.