Varaha Purana - Adhyaya 34
Varaha PuranaAdhyaya 3415 Shlokas

Adhyaya 34: Account of the Origin of the Ancestors (Pitṛs) and the Regulations for Śrāddha Offerings

Pitṛ-saṃbhava-kathanaṃ śrāddha-vidhiś ca

Ritual-Manual (Śrāddha / Pitṛ-tarpaṇa) with Cosmogonic Framing

ヴァラーハ・プラーナの教示的対話(ヴァラーハが大地女神プṛthivīに説く)の中で、本章は祖霊ピトリ(Pitṛ)の出現と分類を宇宙生成の物語として示し、そこから実践的なシュラーダ(śrāddha)の規定へと導く。創造を志すブラフマーは深い観想に入り、その身より煙色の存在が生じて「pibāma」および「surāḥ/soma」と唱え、上方を希求する。ブラフマーは彼らを家住者のためのピトリと定め、vṛddhi-śrāddhaで礼敬されるナンディームカ(Nandīmukha)・ピトリなどの群を区別する。さらに、社会的役割と祭式資格に応じてtarpaṇa/arcanaの作法を分別し(agnihotrin、kṣatriya、vaiśya、śūdra、anāhitāgni等)、最後に新月日amāvāsyāを、kuśa・tila・水による供養の最重要日とし、寿命āyuḥ、名声kīrti、財dhana、子putra、学vidyāの返礼を約束する。

Speakers

VarāhaPṛthivīMahātapā (narrator-voice)Brahmā

Key Concepts

pitṛ-saṃbhava (origin of the ancestors)dakṣiṇāyana as the pitṛ-pathnandīmukha-pitṛ and vṛddhi-śrāddhatarpaṇa with kuśa-tila-udaka (ritual offering protocol)amāvāsyā as a calendrical marker for ancestral ritesdharma of gṛhamedhin (householder obligations)social differentiation of ritual eligibility (agnihotrin / anāhitāgni; varṇa-based instructions)reciprocity economy of rites and boons (āyuḥ, kīrti, dhana, putra, vidyā)earth-ethics framing: household ritual as maintaining intergenerational continuity and social-ecological stability
Recitation with translationVaraha Purana Adhyaya 34

Shlokas in Adhyaya 34

Verse 1

महातपा उवाच । पितॄणां सम्भवं राजन् कथ्यमानं निबोध मे । पूर्वं प्रजापतिब्रह्मा सिसृक्षुर्विविधाः प्रजाः ॥ ३४.१ ॥

マハータパーは言った。「王よ、祖霊ピトリ(Pitṛ)の起源について語られる次第を、我より理解せよ。かつてプラジャーパティたるブラフマーは、多様な生類を創造せんと欲し、(創造の業を起こした)。」

Verse 2

एकाग्रमनसा सर्वास्तन्मात्रा मनसा बहिः । कृत्वा परमकं ब्रह्म ध्यायन् सर्गेप्सुरुच्छकैः ॥ ३४.२ ॥

一心にして、すべての微細要素(タンマートラ)を意によって外へと配し、創造を生ぜしめんと願いつつ、至上のブラフマンを高き境地において観想した。

Verse 3

तस्यात्मनि तदा योगं गतस्य परमेष्ठिनः । तन्मात्रा निर्ययुर्देहाद् धूमवर्णाकृतित्विषः ॥ ३४.३ ॥

そのとき、かのパラメーシュティンが自己の内にヨーガの三昧へと入ると、タンマートラ(微細要素)がその身より流出し、煙のごとき色・形・光輝を帯びていた。

Verse 4

पिबाम इति भाषन्तः सुरान् सोम इति स्म ह । ऊर्ध्वं जिगमिषन्तो वै वियत्संस्थास्तपस्विनः ॥ ३४.४ ॥

彼らは「飲もう」と語り、スラー酒をまことに「ソーマ」と呼んだ。しかも虚空に住する苦行者たちは、真に上方へ昇らんと志していた。

Verse 5

तान्दृष्ट्वा सहसा ब्रह्मा तिर्यक्संस्थान उन्मुखान् । भवन्तः पितरः सन्तु सर्वेषां गृहमेधिनाम् ॥ ३४.५ ॥

彼らを忽ち見たブラフマーは、上方に面し、身を横たえるその姿に向かって言った。「汝らはすべての家住者のためのピトリ(祖霊)となれ。」

Verse 6

ऊर्ध्ववक्त्रास्तु ये तत्र ते नान्दीमुखसंज्ञिताः । वृद्धिश्राद्धेषु सततं पूज्या श्रुतिविधानतः ॥ ३४.६ ॥

そこにおいて「上向きの顔」をもつ者たちはナーンディムカ(Nāndīmukha)と称される。ヴリッディ・シュラーダッダ(増益・吉祥の折に行う供養)においては、シュルティの規定に従い、常に彼らを礼拝し敬うべきである。

Verse 7

अग्निं पुरस्कृतो यैस्तु ते द्विजा अग्निहोत्रिणः । नित्यैर्नैमित्तिकैः काम्यैः पार्वणैस्तर्पयन्तु तान् ॥ ३४.७ ॥

しかし聖火を先に立てる二度生まれ(ドヴィジャ)、すなわちアグニホートラを奉持する者たちは、日常の儀礼(ニティヤ)、機会の儀礼(ナイミッティカ)、願望成就の儀礼(カーミヤ)、およびパールヴァナ供養によって、彼ら(祖霊)を満足させるべきである。

Verse 8

बहिःप्रवरणा ये च क्षत्रियास्तर्पयन्तु तान् । आज्यं पिबन्ति ये चात्र तानर्चयन्तु विषः सदा ॥ ३४.८ ॥

「バヒḥ・プラヴァラナ」と称されるクシャトリヤたちは、供物によって彼らを満足させ(敬い)なさい。さらにこの場において、民衆(ヴィシャḥ)は、アージャ(清浄なる酥油)を飲む者たちを常に礼拝し敬うべきである。

Verse 9

ब्राह्मणैरभ्यनुज्ञाताः शूद्राः स्वपितॄणामतः । तानेवार्चयतां सम्यग्विधिमन्त्रबहिष्कृताः ॥ ३४.९ ॥

シュードラは、ブラーフマナによって正しく許可されたなら、自らの祖霊のために礼拝を行ってよい。しかるべき仕方でその祖霊を供養せよ—ただし正式の作法とヴェーダのマントラからは除外される。

Verse 10

anAhitAgnayo ye cha brahmakShatravisho narAH | svakAlinaste.archayantu lokAgnipurataH sadA || 34.10 ||

祭火を設けていない(anāhita-agni)ブラーフマナ・クシャトリヤ・ヴィシャの人々は、それぞれの定められた時に、常に世の火(lokāgni)の前で礼拝を行うべきである。

Verse 11

इत्येवं पूजिता यूयमिष्टान् कामान् प्रयच्छत । आयुः कीर्तिं धनं पुत्रान् विद्यामभिजनं स्मृतिम् ॥ ३४.११ ॥

「このように、汝らが正しく供養され敬われたなら、望む願いを授けよ—寿命、名声、財、子(男子)、学知、高貴なる家系、そして確かな記憶を。」

Verse 12

इत्युक्त्वा तु तदा ब्रह्मा तेषां पन्थानमाकरॊत् । दक्षिणायनसंज्ञं तु पितॄणां च पितामहः ॥ ३४.१२ ॥

かく語り終えると、その時ブラフマーは彼らの道を定めた—それは「ダクシナーヤナ(南行の道)」と名づけられる。さらにピターマハ(大祖父)は、それをピトリ(祖霊)たちのために制定した。

Verse 13

तूष्णीं ससर्ज भूतानि तमूचुः पितरस्ततः । वृत्तिं नो देहि भगवन् यया विन्दामहे सुखम् ॥ ३४.१३ ॥

沈黙のうちに、彼は諸存在を創造した。するとピトリ(祖霊)たちは言った。「おおバガヴァーンよ、我らが安楽を得るための生計の道をお授けください。」

Verse 14

ब्रह्मा उवाच । अमावास्यादिनं वोऽस्तु तस्यां कुशतिलोदकैः । तर्पिता मानुषैस्तृप्तिं परां गच्छथ नान्यथा ॥ ३४.१४ ॥

ブラフマーは言った。「汝らにはアマーヴァーシャー(新月の日)を定めよう。その日に、人々がクシャ草と胡麻を添えた水の供養(タルパナ)によって汝らを満たすなら、汝らは最高の満足に至る。さもなくば至らない。」

Verse 15

तिलाः देयास्तथैतस्यामुपोष्य पितृभक्तितः । परं तस्य सन्तुष्टा वरं यच्छत मा चिरम् ॥ ३४.१५ ॥

その日には胡麻も施すべきである。祖霊への信愛をもって斎戒(断食)すれば、ピトリは至上に満足し、ほどなく彼に恩寵(ヴァラ)を授ける。

Inside Adhyaya 34

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Varāha continues the didactic exposition to Pṛthivī, shifting from cosmological order to household dharma by introducing why and how the Pitṛs (ancestors) are to be honored; the frame establishes that ritual regulation is grounded in primordial origins.

  2. Central event

    Brahmā, intent on creation, enters concentrated contemplation; from his body arise smoke-hued beings who utter aspirational cries (“pibāma… soma/surāḥ”), moving upward. Brahmā names and classifies them as Pitṛs, assigning their relation to householders and distinguishing special groups such as the Nandīmukha Pitṛs connected with vṛddhi-śrāddha.

  3. Climax resolution

    The cosmogony resolves into a practical ritual code: differentiated tarpaṇa/arcana obligations are laid out according to ritual status (agnihotrin vs. anāhitāgni) and social role (varṇa-based eligibility and modes), and the Pitṛ-path is aligned with dakṣiṇāyana as a cosmological marker for ancestral orientation.

  4. Closing phalashruti

    Amāvāsyā is fixed as the principal recurring day for Pitṛ offerings with kuśa, tila, and water; the rite is framed as reciprocal—proper śrāddha/tarpaṇa yields boons such as āyuḥ (longevity), kīrti (repute), dhana (wealth), putra (offspring), and vidyā (learning).

Geographical context

No explicit toponyms or river systems are named in these verses. The chapter’s spatial imagination is cosmological/ritual (viyat ‘sky/space’, the pitṛ-path identified with dakṣiṇāyana) rather than regional geography.

Ritual instructions

  • Primary RitualPitṛ-tarpaṇa / Śrāddha (including Nandīmukha Pitṛ worship in vṛddhi-śrāddha contexts)
  • BenefitReciprocal prosperity and stability for the householder—longevity, reputation, wealth, progeny, and learning—along with maintenance of lineage continuity (gṛhastha-dharma) through regulated remembrance.

The narrative frame

  • Varāha (with a narrator-voice attributed to Mahātapā in the chapter’s presentation)Pṛthivī · Pedagogical and normative: cosmogony is used to authorize a ritual manual, moving from mythic origin to prescriptive household regulation.

The emotional journey

  • Dominant RasaŚānta (reverent composure) with a dharmic undertone of Kartavya-bhāva (sense of duty)
  • Emotional ProgressionWonder at primordial emergence → reassurance through classification and order → sober commitment to household duty → hopeful confidence in reciprocal blessings.

Planning a pilgrimage

  • Visit FeasibilityNot tirtha-specific; practice is home-centered and calendrical. If undertaken at a sacred river/temple, it follows general śrāddha conventions rather than a chapter-mandated site.
  • Related FestivalAmāvāsyā (monthly new-moon observance for Pitṛ rites; often aligned with broader Pitṛ-focused observances in practice)

Frequently Asked Questions

The text frames ancestral rites as a normative duty of the gṛhamedhin (householder): by performing regulated tarpaṇa/arcana for the Pitṛs, society maintains intergenerational continuity and moral order. The instruction is reciprocal—proper remembrance and offering are portrayed as sustaining a stable human world (lineage, learning, reputation), which can be read as a social form of stewardship within the Varāha–Pṛthivī pedagogical horizon.

Amāvāsyā (new-moon day) is explicitly designated as the principal ritual day for the Pitṛs. The chapter also names dakṣiṇāyana as the Pitṛs’ path, functioning as a cosmological/seasonal marker associated with the southern course of the sun in classical Indian calendrical thought.

While it does not discuss landscapes directly, the chapter situates household ritual (use of water, kuśa grass, and tila) as a patterned practice that stabilizes community life across generations. In a Varāha–Pṛthivī framing, such regulated resource-use and remembrance functions as an early model of terrestrial balance: continuity of lineage and disciplined consumption are linked to orderly habitation on Earth rather than unchecked extraction or social disruption.

Brahmā (Prajāpati) is the central cosmogonic figure, presented as instituting the Pitṛs and their ritual pathway. The chapter also references culturally defined ritual identities—agnihotrin (maintainer of sacred fires), anāhitāgni (without established fires), and varṇa categories (brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra)—as the social lineages through which the rites are operationalized.

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