Varaha Purana 34.6 — Adhyaya 34, Shloka 6

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

Devanagari script

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

Transliteration

ūrdhvavaktrāstu ye tatra te nāndīmukhasaṃjñitāḥ | vṛddhiśrāddheṣu satataṃ pūjyā śrutividhānataḥ || 34.6 ||

Translation

അവിടെ മേലോട്ടു മുഖമുള്ളവർ ‘നാന്ദീമുഖ’ എന്നു അറിയപ്പെടുന്നു; വൃദ്ധി-ശ്രാദ്ധങ്ങളിൽ ശ്രുതി-വിധിപ്രകാരം അവരെ നിരന്തരം പൂജിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• ऊर्ध्व-वक्त्राः: those whose faces are upward
• ऊर्ध्व-वक्त्राः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऊर्ध्व (प्रातिपदिक) + वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (possessive: 'whose faces are upward'), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: वाक्यालङ्कार (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: निपात (contrastive particle)

• ये: who
• ये: कर्ता (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: देशाधिकरण (Locative setting)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• ते: they
• ते: कर्ता (Correlative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

• नान्दीमुख-संज्ञिताः: called ‘Nandīmukha’
• नान्दीमुख-संज्ञिताः: कर्ता (Predicate adjective/कर्तृसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नान्दीमुख (प्रातिपदिक) + संज्ञित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त/PPP from संज्ञा/सम्-ज्ञा)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास ('named as Nandīmukha'), क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

• वृद्धि-श्राद्धेषु: in vṛddhi-śrāddha rites
• वृद्धि-श्राद्धेषु: अधिकरण (Locative context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास ('vṛddhi'-type śrāddhas), सप्तमी (Locative/अधिकरण), बहुवचन (Plural), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• सततम्: always
• सततम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सततम् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: काल/आवृत्तिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: always)

• पूज्याः: worthy of worship; to be honored
• पूज्याः: कर्ता (Predicate adjective/कर्तृसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, यत्/gerundive from पूज् धातु)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive: 'to be worshipped'), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

• श्रुति-विधानतः: according to scriptural injunction
• श्रुति-विधानतः: हेतु/प्रमाण (Reason/authority)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: श्रुति (प्रातिपदिक) + विधान (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास ('scriptural injunction') + तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb: 'according to/from'), हेतौ/प्रमाणे (as authority)

Speaker

Varāha

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"shraddha","instruction_summary":"Nāndīmukha Pitṛs (the upward-faced) must be honored in vṛddhi-śrāddhas, following Śruti-based procedure.","karmic_consequence":"Proper honoring yields auspicious increase (vṛddhi) and ancestral satisfaction; omission or wrong addressee undermines the rite’s fruit and auspiciousness."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"The ‘upward-faced’ orientation signifies a śrauta-aligned vector of offering: rites of increase are directed toward higher continuity (lineage/prosperity), mirroring yajña’s upward movement from earth to heaven.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Upward face = upward flow of oblation; ‘śruti-vidhāna’ = Veda as the body of yajña that structures cosmic exchange.","vedantic_connection":"Śruti as pramāṇa: dharma is not arbitrary but revealed order; honoring Nāndīmukhas becomes a concrete enactment of aligning action with śruti-grounded ṛta."}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"dharma epistemology","core_concept":"Right practice is determined by śruti-vidhi; naming/classifying ritual recipients is part of dharma’s precision.","practical_application":"When performing vṛddhi-śrāddha (birth, marriage, prosperity rites), explicitly invoke and honor Nāndīmukha Pitṛs per tradition rather than generic offerings."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Studies","Ancestral Rites","Dharma-shastra Interface"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: Shanta

Secondary Rasa: Adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: ritual setting

Cross References

Related Themes: 34.34.5 (Brahmā’s appointment of Pitṛs); 34.34.7 (modes of tarpaṇa by agnihotrins)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A śrāddha scene: a householder and priests arrange offerings; subtle, semi-divine Nāndīmukha Pitṛs appear above, faces turned upward, receiving honor as prescribed by Śruti.","item_prompts":["śrāddha altar with kuśa grass","piṇḍa and water vessel for tarpaṇa","brāhmaṇa priest reciting","ethereal Pitṛ figures labeled Nāndīmukha, upward-faced","scriptural scroll/palm-leaf indicating śruti-vidhāna"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, ritual interior with stylized props, priests in traditional attire, Pitṛs as translucent figures above, strong iconographic clarity.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, richly ornamented ritual scene, gold leaf on vessels and halos, Pitṛs in upper register, symmetrical composition.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore, elegant domestic shrine setting, fine detailing of kuśa and vessels, soft divine presence of Pitṛs, calm devotional tone.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari, intimate household courtyard, crisp depiction of ritual items, Pitṛs as small cloud-borne figures, narrative clarity."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional, reverent","suggested_raga":"Sri","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"measured and precise, emphasizing ‘nāndīmukha’ and ‘śruti-vidhānataḥ’"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Ritual Protocol
• Vaishnavism

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a Purāṇic systematization of śrāddha practice by naming a category (Nāndīmukha) and grounding the honorific protocol in śruti-vidhāna, illustrating how Purāṇas often align ritual details with Vedic authority in later Sanskrit textual culture.

Which geographic location is identified?

No explicit geographic location is named in this verse; the reference is classificatory and ritual (concerned with a type of pitṛ and a śrāddha occasion) rather than topographical.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse emphasizes disciplined observance of ancestral-honor rites—specifically, that Nāndīmukha-associated recipients are to be honored in vṛddhi-śrāddha according to established authoritative prescriptions (śruti-vidhāna).