Shloka 4
Śivapūjā-vidhi: Purifications, Sūrya–Graha Mantras, Nyāsa, and Bhūtaśuddhi leading to Śivoham-bhāva
स्वधान्ताः सर्वपितरः स्वधान्ताश्च पितामहाः / ॐ हां प्रपितामहेभ्यस्तथा मातामहादयः
svadhāntāḥ sarvapitaraḥ svadhāntāśca pitāmahāḥ / oṃ hāṃ prapitāmahebhyastathā mātāmahādayaḥ
‘സ്വധാ’ എന്ന ഉച്ചാരണത്തോടെ സർവ പിതൃകൾ തൃപ്തരാകട്ടെ; ‘സ്വധാ’യാൽ പിതാമഹന്മാരും തൃപ്തരാകട്ടെ. ‘ഓം ഹാം’ എന്നു പ്രപിതാമഹന്മാർക്കും, അതുപോലെ മാതാമഹാദികൾക്കും അർപ്പണം ചെയ്യണം.
Lord Viṣṇu (in instruction to Garuḍa)
Ritual Type: Parvana
Beneficiary: Pitr
Timing: Śrāddha/tarpaṇa occasions (including annual tithi-based rites and Mahālaya season depending on tradition).
Concept: Pitṛ-tarpaṇa/śrāddha efficacy through correct svadhā utterance and inclusive honoring of paternal and maternal ancestors (pitṛ, pitāmaha, prapitāmaha; mātāmaha etc.).
Vedantic Theme: Ṛṇa-traya (debts) and pitṛ-ṛṇa discharged through prescribed rites; dharma sustains social-cosmic order.
Application: In ancestral rites, explicitly include both paternal and maternal lines; use svadhā as the pitṛ-oriented formula and address each generation respectfully.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa/Śrāddha-kalpa: repeated insistence that pitṛs are pleased by svadhā and proper offerings
FAQs
This verse treats “svadhā” as the key ritual utterance that ‘satisfies’ the Pitṛs during tarpaṇa/śrāddha offerings, marking the act as specifically addressed to ancestors.
It explicitly includes both paternal ancestors (Pitṛs, grandfathers, great-grandfathers) and the maternal line (mātāmaha and others), indicating that proper rites remember both lineages.
When performing śrāddha or tarpaṇa, consciously include maternal as well as paternal ancestors and use the prescribed invocatory formulae with clarity of intention and reverence.