Shloka 7
Śrāddha Vidhi (Pārvaṇa-Śrāddha): Invitations, Arghya, Protective Rites, Piṇḍa Offering, Dakṣiṇā, and Visarjana
ॐ अद्यास्मिन्देशे अमुकमासे अमुकराशिङ्गते सवितर्यमुकतिथावमुकगोत्राणामस्मत्पितृपितामहप्रपितामहानां यथानामशर्मणां विश्वेदेवपूर्वकन्दृश्राद्धं करिष्ये / ॐ विश्वेभ्यो देवभ्यः स्वाहा ॐ विश्वेदेवानावाहयिष्ये / आवाहयेत्युक्ते ॐ विश्वेदेवाः स आगत शृणुताम् इमं हवम् / एदं बर्हिर्निषीदत ॐ विश्वेदेवाः शृणुतेमं इवं मे ये अन्तरिक्षे य उपद्यविष्ट / ये अग्निजिह्वा उत वा यजत्रा आसद्यास्मिन्बर्हिषि मादयध्वम् / ॐ ओषधयः संवदन्ते सोमेन सह राज्ञा / यस्मै कृणोति ब्राह्मणस्तं राजन्पारयामसि / ॐ आगच्छन्तु महाभागा विश्वेदेवा महाबलाः / ये अत्र विहिताः श्राद्धे सावधाना भवन्तु ते / ॐ अपहतासुरा रक्षांसि वेदिषद इति त्रित्रिर्यवविकिरणम्
oṃ adyāsmindeśe amukamāse amukarāśiṅgate savitaryamukatithāvamukagotrāṇāmasmatpitṛpitāmahaprapitāmahānāṃ yathānāmaśarmaṇāṃ viśvedevapūrvakandṛśrāddhaṃ kariṣye / oṃ viśvebhyo devabhyaḥ svāhā oṃ viśvedevānāvāhayiṣye / āvāhayetyukte oṃ viśvedevāḥ sa āgata śṛṇutām imaṃ havam / edaṃ barhirniṣīdata oṃ viśvedevāḥ śṛṇutemaṃ ivaṃ me ye antarikṣe ya upadyaviṣṭa / ye agnijihvā uta vā yajatrā āsadyāsminbarhiṣi mādayadhvam / oṃ oṣadhayaḥ saṃvadante somena saha rājñā / yasmai kṛṇoti brāhmaṇastaṃ rājanpārayāmasi / oṃ āgacchantu mahābhāgā viśvedevā mahābalāḥ / ye atra vihitāḥ śrāddhe sāvadhānā bhavantu te / oṃ apahatāsurā rakṣāṃsi vediṣada iti tritriryavavikiraṇam
Om. Aujourd’hui, en ce lieu, en tel mois, lorsque le Soleil transite tel signe, en tel tithi, pour ceux de telle lignée—à savoir notre père, grand-père et arrière-grand-père, portant leurs noms respectifs—j’accomplirai le śrāddha précédé de l’invocation des Viśvedevā. Om—oblation aux Viśvedevā : svāhā. Om—j’inviterai les Viśvedevā. Quand il est dit « Invite », (réciter :) « Ô Viśvedevā, venez ; écoutez cette invocation. Asseyez-vous sur ce siège d’herbe sacrée. Ô Viśvedevā, écoutez ceci de moi—vous qui demeurez dans la région médiane, vous qui avez langue de feu et êtes dignes d’adoration—assis sur cette herbe, réjouissez-vous ». Om—« Les plantes médicinales conversent avec le roi Soma ; celui que sert le brāhmaṇa, ô Roi, nous l’aidons à traverser ». Om—« Que viennent les Viśvedevā, fortunés et puissants ; que ceux qui sont assignés ici à ce śrāddha demeurent attentifs ». Om—« Les asura et les rākṣasa sont chassés du siège de l’autel »—puis l’on disperse l’orge trois fois.
Narratorial/ritual instruction (Garuda Purana’s śrāddha-vidhi section; not a direct dialogue line)
Ritual Type: Parvana
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: Saṅkalpa and Viśvedevāḥ-āvāhana at the beginning of śrāddha; yava-vikiraṇa as protective act during/after invocation
Concept: Dharma requires saṅkalpa with deśa-kāla and lineage specificity; invoking Viśvedevās universalizes the offering; protective rites guard sanctity against disruptive tendencies.
Vedantic Theme: Karma performed with saṅkalpa and mantra aligns individual action with cosmic order; ‘carrying across’ (pārayāmasi) hints at crossing obstacles through sacred service.
Application: State saṅkalpa with place, month, rāśi, tithi, gotra, and ancestor names; offer to Viśvedevās with svāhā; recite invitation mantras seating them on barhiṣ; conclude with thrice barley scattering while reciting apahatāsura formula.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: ritual altar/vedi within household or designated śrāddha place
Related Themes: Garuda Purana śrāddha-kalpa: saṅkalpa format (deśa-kāla-rāśi-tithi-gotra-nāma); Garuda Purana use of Viśvedevāḥ-pūrvaka śrāddha and yava-vikiraṇa for rakṣa
FAQs
This verse frames śrāddha as “Viśvedeva-pūrvaka,” meaning the rite begins by inviting the Viśvedevās to witness, accept the offerings, and ensure the ritual proceeds without obstruction.
By correctly naming the ancestors and performing śrāddha with proper invocations, the living support the pitṛs through sanctioned offerings—an act repeatedly linked in the Garuda Purana to post-death welfare and continuity of ancestral benefit.
Maintain clarity of intention (saṅkalpa), perform ancestral rites with attentiveness (sāvadhāna), and preserve ritual cleanliness and protection (symbolized by yava-vikiraṇa) to honor lineage and cultivate dharmic responsibility.