Varaha Purana 13.29 — Adhyaya 13, Shloka 29
The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times
अग्निष्वात्तेति मारीच्या वैराजा बर्हिषंज्ञिताः । सुकालेयापि पितरो वसिष्ठस्य प्रजापतेः । तेऽपि याज्यास्त्रिभिर्वर्णैर्न शूद्रेण पृथक्कृतम् ॥ १३.२९ ॥
agniṣvātteti mārīcyā vairājā barhiṣaṃjñitāḥ | sukāleyāpi pitaro vasiṣṭhasya prajāpateḥ | te 'pi yājyās tribhir varṇair na śūdreṇa pṛthakkṛtam || 13.29 ||
મરીચિથી ઉત્પન્ન પિતૃઓ ‘અગ્નિષ્વાત્ત’ કહેવાય છે અને વૈરાજો ‘બર્હિષદ્’ નામે પ્રસિદ્ધ છે. ‘સુકાલેય’ પિતૃઓ પણ પ્રજાપતિ વસિષ્ઠના પિતૃ છે. તેઓ પણ ત્રિવર્ણ દ્વારા યાજ્ય છે; શૂદ્ર દ્વારા અલગથી નહીં.
Varāha (default dialogue framework; speaker not explicit in excerpt)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"shraddha","instruction_summary":"Agniṣvātta/Barhiṣad/Sukāleya pitṛs are to be worshipped with śrāddha offerings by the three varṇas; a Śūdra does not perform separate independent offerings to them.","karmic_consequence":"Following varṇādhikāra preserves śrāddha efficacy and pitṛ-prīti; transgressing prescribed adhikāra is treated as ritual impropriety leading to diminished fruit (aphala) and potential doṣa in śrāddha."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"dharma (adhikāra-viveka)","core_concept":"Dharma is not only the act (yajña/śrāddha) but the right performance by qualified agents; cosmological genealogy grounds ritual address (to whom offerings are due).","practical_application":"When performing śrāddha, follow family/śāstra guidance on pitṛ-invocation and performer eligibility; prioritize correctness (vidhi) and intention (śraddhā)."}
Subject Matter: ["Ritual Studies","Cosmology (ancestral classes)","Dharma-śāstra interface","Genealogical taxonomy"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: None
Type: ritual-cosmic interface
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 13.13.30 (Śūdra offerings with authorization)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A śrāddha scene with three varṇas represented as qualified offerers, invoking named pitṛ-classes; subtle iconographic labels for Agniṣvātta and Barhiṣad; Vasiṣṭha as prajāpati anchor in the background.","item_prompts":["śrāddha altar","piṇḍa offerings","kuśa/barhis grass","water vessel (arghya)","three qualified offerers (symbolic)","pitṛ figures receiving offerings","sage Vasiṣṭha motif"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, ritual courtyard with kuśa grass and offerings, stylized pitṛs in ethereal band above, Vasiṣṭha seated with kamandalu, warm earthy palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, gold-leaf highlighting the pitṛ realm above the ritual, ornate vessels and plates, Vasiṣṭha with gilded halo, symmetrical composition.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, refined śrāddha details (piṇḍa, kuśa), gentle expressions, subdued gold accents, clear separation of human and pitṛ planes.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style, intimate domestic śrāddha setting, delicate line, pitṛs as translucent figures in sky band, Vasiṣṭha as calm elder in corner."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"formal, injunction-like","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, authoritative"}
FAQs
It preserves a Purāṇic taxonomy of Pitṛ groups (Agniṣvātta, Barhiṣad, Sukāleya) and links them to a revered Vedic figure (Vasiṣṭha as Prajāpati), reflecting how genealogical cosmology and ritual eligibility were systematized in classical Sanskrit literature.
No specific geographic site is named in this verse; the focus is on ancestral classes and ritual eligibility rather than sacred geography.
The verse primarily conveys a normative ritual guideline about who is authorized to perform offerings to certain Pitṛ groups, presenting a rule of ritual procedure rather than an environmental or geographic instruction.
Ask anything about this verse
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