Shloka 17

The Procedure for Offering Piṇḍa (Funerary Rice-balls) — Gayā-māhātmya

Devanagari script

अग्निष्वात्ता बर्हिषदः सोमपाः पितृदेवताः । आगच्छंतु महाभागा युष्माभी रक्षितास्त्विह ॥ १७ ॥

Transliteration

agniṣvāttā barhiṣadaḥ somapāḥ pitṛdevatāḥ | āgacchaṃtu mahābhāgā yuṣmābhī rakṣitāstviha || 17 ||

Translation

アグニシュヴァッタのピトリ、バルヒシャドのピトリ、そしてソーマを飲む祖霊の神々よ、ここに来臨したまえ。おお大いなる福徳の者たち（mahābhāga）よ、あなたがたによって私たちはここで守護されている。

Word by Word

• अग्नि-स्वात्ताः: the Agniṣvāttas (a class of ancestors)
• अग्नि-स्वात्ताः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वात्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (determinative; class of Pitṛs), पुंलिङ्गे (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nom./1st), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• बर्हिषदः: the Barhiṣads (a class of ancestors)
• बर्हिषदः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बर्हिषद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nom./1st), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• सोमपाः: the Somapās (Soma-drinkers)
• सोमपाः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nom./1st), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• पितृ-देवताः: those whose deities are the Pitṛs / the Pitṛ-deities
• पितृ-देवताः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (determinative: ‘पितरः देवता यस्य/येषाम्’), स्त्रीलिङ्गे (f.), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nom./1st), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• आगच्छन्तु: let them come
• आगच्छन्तु: क्रिया (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• महाभागाः: O greatly fortunate ones
• महाभागाः: सम्बोधन/कर्तृ-विशेषण (Vocative sense/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महā (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः (descriptive: ‘महान् भागः’), पुंलिङ्गे (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nom./1st), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• युष्माभिः: by you
• युष्माभिः: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• रक्षिताः: protected
• रक्षिताः: क्रिया-विशेषण/भाव (Predicate complement/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्गे (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nom./1st), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• तु: indeed
• तु: सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: emphasis/contrast)

• इह: here
• इह: अधिकरण (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

Speaker

Narada (ritual formula as taught within the Narada Purana’s Uttara-Bhaga context)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Agniṣvātta Pitṛs
• Barhiṣad Pitṛs
• Somapā Pitṛs
• Pitṛ-devatās

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It is an invocation (āhvāna) of recognized classes of Pitṛs, affirming them as pitṛ-devatās and acknowledging their protective grace, which frames Śrāddha/tarpaṇa as a sacred exchange of reverence and blessing.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

Bhakti here appears as reverential service (sevā) and gratitude—honoring the Pitṛs as divine recipients within dharmic worship, cultivating humility and a devotional attitude that supports broader Vaiṣṇava-dharma.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It reflects ritual application aligned with Kalpa (procedure for invocations in Śrāddha/tarpaṇa) and correct liturgical phrasing (linked to Śikṣā/Vyākaraṇa through precise recitation and grammatical forms like instrumentals and imperatives).