Varaha Purana 13.42: Adhyaya 13, Shloka 42

The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times

Devanagari script

अथापरं पितरः श्राद्धकालं रहस्यमस्मत् प्रवदन्ति पुण्यम् । वैशाखमासस्य तु या तृतीया नवम्यसौ कार्त्तिकशुक्लपक्षे ॥ १३.४२ ॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 13.42

Transliteration

athāparaṃ pitaraḥ śrāddhakālaṃ rahasyam asmat pravadanti puṇyam | vaiśākhamāsasya tu yā tṛtīyā navamy asau kārttikaśuklapakṣe || 13.42 ||

Translation

次に、ピトリ（祖霊）は、シュラーダ（śrāddha）儀礼の正しい時期に関する功徳ある秘説を我らに語る。すなわち、ヴァイシャーカ月の第三ティティ、またカールッティカ月の白分（明半月）における第九ティティである。

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Word by Word

• atha: now/then
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), discourse particle (अनन्तरार्थक/आरम्भसूचक)

• aparam: another/further (thing)
• aparam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); used adverbially = 'further/another'

• pitaraḥ: the Pitṛs/manes
• pitaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• śrāddha-kālam: the time for śrāddha
• śrāddha-kālam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'śrāddhasya kālaḥ'

• rahasyam: a secret (teaching)
• rahasyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rahasya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• asmat: from us
• asmat: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन); Vedic/epic form for 'asmāt'

• pravadanti: they declare/tell
• pravadanti: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vad (वद् धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• puṇyam: meritorious/holy
• puṇyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies 'aparam/rahasyam'

• vaiśākha-māsasya: of the month Vaiśākha
• vaiśākha-māsasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśākha (प्रातिपदिक) + māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन); कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष sense: 'vaiśākhaḥ māsaḥ'

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adversative/emphatic particle (तु)

• yā: which (day)
• yā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Relative pronoun (यद्), Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• tṛtīyā: the third lunar day (tithi)
• tṛtīyā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tṛtīyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); lunar day name

• navamī: the ninth lunar day
• navamī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: navamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); lunar day name

• asau: that (one)/that day
• asau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Demonstrative pronoun (अदस्), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग) / used deictically, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• kārttika-śukla-pakṣe: in the bright fortnight of Kārttika
• kārttika-śukla-pakṣe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārttika (प्रातिपदिक) + śukla (प्रातिपदिक) + pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: 'kārttikasya śuklaḥ pakṣaḥ'

Speaker

Varāha (default instructor voice; Pitṛs quoted within the verse)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Dharmaśāstra Interface
• Vaiṣṇavism

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a Purāṇic rule-of-thumb for calendrical selection (tithi-based timing) of śrāddha, reflecting how Purāṇas often transmit ritual norms alongside narrative material.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific geographic site is named in this verse; the reference is calendrical (Vaiśākha and Kārttika months; tṛtīyā and navamī tithis).

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse frames ancestral rites as a puṇya-generating duty and emphasizes performing them at culturally authorized times, presenting ritual attentiveness as an ethical discipline.