Matsya Purana — Sādhāraṇa Śrāddha: General Ancestral Rite, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

असंस्कृतप्रमीतानां त्यक्तानां कुलयोषिताम् उच्छिष्टभागधेयः स्याद् दर्भे विकिरयोश्च यः //

Transliteration

asaṃskṛtapramītānāṃ tyaktānāṃ kulayoṣitām ucchiṣṭabhāgadheyaḥ syād darbhe vikirayośca yaḥ //

Translation

Quien toma una parte de lo que queda—como la hierba darbha usada en los ritos y los restos esparcidos—incurre en la mancha de ‘ucchiṣṭa’ (impureza por sobras), en el caso de mujeres de familia respetable que han muerto sin los saṃskāra debidos o que han sido abandonadas.

Word by Word

• asaṃskṛta: not duly consecrated/without proper rites

• pramītānām: of the deceased (lit. those who have died)

• tyaktānām: of those abandoned/cast off

• kula-yoṣitām: of women of a good family

• ucchiṣṭa: leftover/ritually defiling remainder

• bhāga-dheyaḥ: a share/portion (that which one takes as one’s portion)

• syāt: becomes/is

• darbhe: in/with darbha grass (kuśa)

• vikirayoḥ: in the scattered remnants/sprinklings (things strewn about)

• ca: and

• yaḥ: whoever (the person who does so)

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu, within dharma/ritual regulations)

Entities Mentioned

• Matsya
• Manu
• Darbha (Kuśa grass)
• Ucchiṣṭa (ritual impurity concept)

Tags

• Dharma
• Śrāddha
• Āśauca
• Ritual Purity
• Ucchiṣṭa

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

This verse is not about Pralaya; it belongs to the dharma/ritual-purity stream, defining what counts as ucchiṣṭa (defiling leftovers) in funerary or impurity contexts.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

It instructs householders (and, by extension, rulers enforcing dharma) to avoid taking or distributing ritually contaminated remnants—especially in sensitive death-related situations—so that social and ritual purity norms are maintained.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it highlights darbha/kuśa grass and scattered remnants from rites as potential carriers of ucchiṣṭa; these items should not be treated as ordinary ‘shares’ to be taken or reused when the situation is deemed impure.