Shloka 15

Pātra-Nirṇaya and Ritual Procedure: Who to Feed, Who to Avoid, and Step-by-Step Śrāddha Performance

Devanagari script

देवानाम् एकम् एकं वा पितॄणां च नियोजयेत्

Transliteration

devānām ekam ekaṃ vā pitṝṇāṃ ca niyojayet

Translation

വിധിപ്രകാരം ദേവന്മാർക്കും പിതൃകൾക്കും, ഓരോന്നായി അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ഓരോ ഭാഗം വീതം നിയോഗിച്ച് (അർപ്പിച്ച്) നടത്തണം.

Word by Word

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• एकम्: one (single)
• एकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; संख्याविशेषणम्

• एकम्: one each
• एकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति-प्रयोगः (each one / one by one)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपातः (disjunctive particle: or)

• पितॄणाम्: of the ancestors
• पितॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपातः (conjunction: and)

• नियोजयेत्: should assign/appoint
• नियोजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-युज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; णिच्-प्रयोगः (causative: appoint/assign)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching) to Maitreya

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even minimal, properly apportioned offerings to Devas and Pitṛs, done according to rule, fulfill one’s dharma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Keep daily/periodic obligations sustainable—offer what you can consistently and correctly rather than grandly but irregularly.

Vishishtadvaita: Offerings are acts of śeṣatva (servant-nature) within the Lord’s economy, where all recipients are subordinate channels.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Pitṛs (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the significance of offering to Devas and Pitṛs in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse emphasizes dharmic order: offerings are to be properly apportioned to both gods and ancestors, sustaining cosmic reciprocity and familial continuity.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the correct method of allocation in Śrāddha?

He indicates that offerings should be assigned in measured portions—either singly or sequentially—explicitly directing them to Devas and Pitṛs according to the rite.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Though not named in the verse, the Śrāddha framework functions within Vishnu’s dharmic sovereignty: correct ritual action aligns society with the divine order upheld by the Supreme Reality.