Varaha Purana 14.25: Adhyaya 14, Shloka 25
Ritual Procedure for Śrāddha: Sequence, Eligibility, and Offerings to Ancestors
Pūrva Bhāga · Śrāddha–Pitṛkriyā (ancestral rites and ritual procedure)
रक्षोघ्नमन्त्रपठनं भूमेरास्तरणं तिलैः । कृत्वाऽध्येयाश्च पितरस्त एव द्विजसत्तमाः ॥ १४.२५ ॥
rakṣoghnamantrapaṭhanaṃ bhūmer āstaraṇaṃ tilaiḥ | kṛtvā’dhyeyāś ca pitaras ta eva dvijasattamāḥ || 14.25 ||
rakShoghnamantrapaThanaM bhUmerAstaraNaM tilaiH | kRRitvA.adhyeyAshcha pitarasta eva dvijasattamAH || 14.25 ||
बुरी चीज़ों को भगाने वाला मंत्र पढ़ो। ज़मीन पर तिल बिछा दो। फिर पंडित लोग पितरों को बुलाएँ और उनका नाम लें।
Sandhi Notes
- रक्षोघ्नमन्त्रपठनम् = रक्षोघ्न + मन्त्र + पठनम्
- भूमेरास्तरणम् = भूमेः + आस्तरणम्
- कृत्वाऽध्येयाः = कृत्वा + अध्येयाः
Varāha
Before communion with ancestors, one must establish a protected, purified space—outer order supports inner recollection and reverence.
Begin rites with protective recitation; prepare the ground carefully; use traditional purifiers (tila) to mark sacred boundary and intention.
Sesame spread on earth and protective mantra frame the rite as a microcosmic ‘earth-purification’, echoing Varāha’s role of stabilizing and safeguarding Bhūmi for yajña.
bhūmi-āstaraṇa (ground as altar-body); tilāḥ as purificatory ‘seeds’ of continuity for pitṛ-loka linkage; rakṣo-ghna as the protective ‘tusk’ that wards chaos from sacrifice.
Ritual protection symbolizes guarding the sattvic field (kṣetra) so that intention (saṅkalpa) can connect finite action to subtle results (adr̥ṣṭa).
Recite a rakṣo-ghna (protective) mantra, spread sesame on the ground, and then invoke/recite the pitṛs through qualified brāhmaṇas.
Protection and purity prevent ritual obstruction and ensure pitṛs are properly reached; omission risks doṣa (impurity/interruptions) and reduced pitṛ-tṛpti.
Varāha Purāṇa 14.14.26 (pitṛ satisfaction prayer)
FAQs
It documents a standardized Purāṇic ritual sequence—protective mantra-recitation and the use of sesame (tila)—reflecting broader Dharmaśāstra-influenced śrāddha conventions and the material culture of ancestral rites.
No specific place-name is mentioned in this verse; it describes a general ritual procedure rather than a site-specific tīrtha or region.
The verse emphasizes careful, orderly performance of ancestral rites—combining protection/purification (rakṣoghna mantra) with respectful remembrance and invocation of ancestors—framed as disciplined practice by learned ritual specialists.
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