Varaha Purana 13.49 — Adhyaya 13, Shloka 49
The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times
गायन्ति चैतत् पितरः कदा तु वर्षामघातृप्तिमवाप्य भूयः । माघासितान्ते शुभतीर्थतोयैर्यास्याम तृप्तिं तनयादिदत्तैः ॥ १३.४९ ॥
gāyanti caitat pitaraḥ kadā tu varṣāmaghātṛptim avāpya bhūyaḥ | māghāsitānte śubhatīrthatoyair yāsyāma tṛptiṁ tanayād idattaiḥ || 13.49 ||
ປິຕຣະທັງຫຼາຍຮ້ອງຂັບວ່າ: “ເມື່ອໃດໜໍ, ເມື່ອພວກເຮົາໄດ້ຮັບຄວາມອິ່ມໃຈອີກຄັ້ງດ້ວຍ ວັດສາ ແລະ ອະຆະ (ພິທີ/ວິນັຍ), ແລ້ວໃນທ້າຍປັກຂະມືດຂອງເດືອນມາຄະ, ດ້ວຍນ້ຳຈາກທີ່ຂ້າມນ້ຳອັນມົງຄຸນ (tīrtha) ທີ່ລູກຫຼານແລະຜູ້ອື່ນໆ ຖວາຍໃຫ້, ພວກເຮົາຈະເຖິງຄວາມພໍໃຈໄດ້ເມື່ອໃດ?”
Pitaraḥ (quoted within the Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"observer","bhu_devi_state":"attentive; contemplative about Pitṛ-needs and timing","key_question":"When and by what offerings do Pitṛs attain renewed satisfaction, especially in Māgha’s dark fortnight?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"shraddha","instruction_summary":"Pitṛs long for satisfaction obtained through seasonal observances and, specifically, offerings with auspicious tīrtha-waters at the end of Māgha kṛṣṇa-pakṣa, given by sons/descendants.","karmic_consequence":"Timely śrāddha/tarpaṇa in Māgha with tīrtha-jala increases Pitṛ-tṛpti and ancestral blessings; omission leads to continued Pitṛ-asantoṣa and diminished familial auspiciousness."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Māgha-kṛṣṇa-pakṣānta Pitṛ-tarpaṇa/Śrāddha observance (tīrtha-jala emphasis)","tithi_month":"Māgha, end of the dark fortnight (kṛṣṇa-pakṣānta)","promised_fruit":"Pitṛ-tṛpti (ancestral contentment), removal of Pitṛ-doṣa, and consequent welfare for descendants."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"interdependence of generations (ṛṇa and reciprocity)","core_concept":"Pitṛs depend on descendants’ timely acts; descendants inherit dharmic responsibility (pitṛ-ṛṇa) that sustains lineage welfare.","practical_application":"Mark Māgha kṛṣṇa-pakṣānta for tarpaṇa/śrāddha using tīrtha-water (or water ritually substituted with tīrtha-saṅkalpa) and ensure offerings are ‘tanayādi-datta’—given by family with sincerity."}
Subject Matter: ["Ritual Studies","Sacred Geography","Ethics","Calendrics (Hindu lunar months)"]
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: sacred fords/rivers as ritual media; time as sacred locus
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 13.13.48 (tīrtha-snāna and arcana for Pitṛ-hita); Varāha Purāṇa 13.13.50 (purity of mind/wealth, proper time and method)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A subtle, otherworldly tableau of Pitṛs ‘singing’ their longing—seated in a luminous ancestral realm—while below, descendants at a tīrtha prepare Māgha-end offerings with sacred water.","item_prompts":["ethereal Pitṛ figures with gentle radiance","musical gesture/chant scroll motif","moon/night sky indicating kṛṣṇa-pakṣa","riverbank with descendants holding water in añjali","offerings: sesame, water-pot, darbha grass"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Two-register composition: upper ancestral realm with stylized Pitṛs chanting; lower ghāṭa with tarpaṇa; decorative borders, warm reds/ochres, clear iconographic separation.","tanjore_prompt":"Gold-leaf highlights for Pitṛ aura and moon; embossed river and offering vessels; central focus on ritual act with ornate framing.","mysore_prompt":"Elegant, restrained depiction; soft glow around Pitṛs; detailed darbha and kalaśa; calm nocturnal palette.","pahari_prompt":"Poetic night landscape with crescent moon; small figures at river; Pitṛs suggested as translucent forms in sky; delicate lines and cool tones."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"plaintive yet devotional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"soft, slightly yearning on quoted speech; clear articulation of Māgha timing"}
FAQs
It preserves a Purāṇic model of ancestral rites (Pitṛ-tarpaṇa/Śrāddha) tied to specific calendrical markers (Māgha, dark fortnight) and to tīrtha landscapes, reflecting how ritual practice and sacred geography were mutually reinforcing in medieval Sanskrit textual culture.
No single named location is specified here; the verse refers generically to “śubha-tīrtha” (auspicious sacred fords/pilgrimage waters), implying a network of recognized tīrthas rather than one site.
The verse foregrounds filial responsibility and intergenerational reciprocity: descendants are expected to perform offerings (especially water offerings at tīrthas at auspicious times) as a culturally sanctioned means of expressing care for ancestors.
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