Shloka 2

श्राद्ध-योग्य द्रव्य, निषेध, तथा गयाश्राद्ध-माहात्म्य (Śrāddha Materials, Prohibitions, and the Glory of Gayā)

Devanagari script

औरभ्रगव्यैश् च तथा मासवृद्ध्या पितामहाः प्रयान्ति तृप्तिं मांसैस् तु नित्यं वार्ध्रीणसाम् इषैः

Transliteration

aurabhragavyaiś ca tathā māsavṛddhyā pitāmahāḥ prayānti tṛptiṃ māṃsais tu nityaṃ vārdhrīṇasām iṣaiḥ

Translation

また、アウラブフラとガヴ்யの肉による供物、ならびに月ごとに増益する儀礼によって、ピターマハ（祖父祖霊）は満足に至る。さらにヴァールドゥリーナサに定められた供献によって、常に喜ばされる。

Word by Word

• औरभ्र: with sheep/ram (meat)
• औरभ्र: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: औरभ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (गव्यैः) — ‘उरभ्रसम्बन्धि (sheep/ram)’

• गव्यैः: with bovine/cow-related (meat)
• गव्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• तथा: also
• तथा: Connector/Adverbial
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/समुच्चय (also)

• मासवृद्ध्या: by month-by-month increase (in merit/benefit)
• मासवृद्ध्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास + वृद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मासस्य वृद्धि)

• पितामहाः: the grandfathers/ancestors
• पितामहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• प्रयान्ति: attain/go to
• प्रयान्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; धातु—या (गत्यर्थ) उपसर्ग—प्र

• तृप्तिम्: satisfaction/contentment
• तृप्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृप्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• मांसैः: with meats
• मांसैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मांस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेष/विरोध (but/indeed)

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (always)

• वार्ध्रीणसाम्: of vārdhrīṇasa (a kind of animal)
• वार्ध्रीणसाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वार्ध्रीणस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; (वार्ध्रीणस = मृग/पशुविशेष)

• इषैः: with foods/nourishments
• इषैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; (इष् = आहार/भोजन/पोषण)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Specific offerings (including monthly rite) that satisfy Pitāmahas and prescribed oblations (vārdhrīṇasa)

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Manvantara: Vaivasvata

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Prescribed offerings—specific meats and periodic (monthly) rites—are said to gratify the Pitāmahas, underscoring cyclical duty and precision in dharma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Keep regular rhythms of remembrance and giving (monthly/annual observances), emphasizing sincerity and consistency over extravagance.

Vishishtadvaita: Ritual duty functions within a real relational cosmos; offerings express service and dependence, harmonizing household life with the Lord’s ordained order.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Pitāmahas (grandfathers)

FAQs

What is the significance of Śrāddha offerings to the Pitṛs in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse states that specific prescribed offerings (including particular food/meat oblations and monthly rites) directly lead to the satisfaction of the ancestors, showing Śrāddha as a dharmic mechanism for sustaining ancestral welfare and lineage continuity.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the efficacy of offerings in this context?

Parāśara frames efficacy in terms of tṛpti (satisfaction): when rites are performed according to rule (including māsa-vṛddhi and designated oblations), the Pitṛs ‘attain satisfaction,’ indicating a structured, law-governed ritual economy within dharma.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here, even if not named in the verse?

In the Vishnu Purana, dharma and cosmic order ultimately rest on Vishnu’s sovereignty; thus, the verse’s ritual prescriptions function within a Vishnu-grounded universe where righteous action maintains harmony between the living and the ancestral realm.