Varaha Purana 13.18: Adhyaya 13, Shloka 18
The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times
Pūrva Bhāga · Cosmological Genealogies (Pitṛ-Devāḥ Classification)
मार्कण्डेय उवाच । प्रवर्तन्ते वराः केचिद् देवानां सोमवर्द्धनाः । ते मरीच्यादयः सप्त स्वर्गे ते पितरः स्मृताः ॥ १३.१८ ॥
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | pravartante varāḥ kecid devānāṃ somavarddhanāḥ | te marīcyādayaḥ sapta svarge te pitaraḥ smṛtāḥ || 13.18 ||
mArkaNDeya uvAcha | pravarttante varAH kechid devAnAM somavarddhanAH | te marIchyAdayaH sapta svarge te pitaraH smRRitAH || 13.18 ||
मार्कण्डेय म्हणाले—देवांसाठी सोमवर्धन करणारे काही श्रेष्ठ जन प्रवृत्त होतात। मरीची आदी ते सात स्वर्गात पितर म्हणून स्मरणात आहेत.
Sandhi Notes
- केचिद् = केचित् (त् + द् संधि/परसवर्ण)
Mārkaṇḍeya
Curious
Who are the heavenly Pitṛs connected with Soma-increase, and what is their identity/genealogy?
Pitṛs are not merely human ancestors; there exist divine Pitṛ-hosts (Marīci etc.) sustaining deva-ritual vitality via Soma.
Treat śrāddha/pitṛ-tarpaṇa as participation in a wider cosmic lineage-and-ritual network, not only family remembrance.
Varāha Purāṇa 13.13.19-22 (continuation on embodied/formless groups and their lokas)
FAQs
It preserves a Purāṇic classification linking the Pitṛs with a celestial group of seven figures (beginning with Marīci) and associates them with Soma-related ritual/cosmic function, reflecting continuity with older Vedic-Purāṇic ancestor concepts.
No specific terrestrial location is named; the setting is “svarga” (heaven), a cosmological realm rather than a mappable geographic site.
The verse does not state a direct ethical injunction; its primary function is doctrinal classification—identifying revered ancestral figures (Pitṛs) and their cosmic role, which indirectly supports the cultural principle of honoring lineage and ancestral remembrance.
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