Varaha Purana 13.15: Adhyaya 13, Shloka 15

The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times

Pūrva Bhāga · Śrāddha and Ancestor-Rite Narratives (Pitṛ-tarpaṇa context)

Devanagari script

ततस्तेषु प्रयातेषु त्रिदिवं ब्रह्मवादिषु । तत्पुत्राः श्राद्धदानेन तर्पयामासुरञ्जसा ॥ १३.१५ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 13.15

Transliteration

tatasteṣu prayāteṣu tridivaṃ brahmavādiṣu | tatputrāḥ śrāddhadānena tarpayāmāsurañjasā || 13.15 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

Kemudian, apabila para Brahmavādin itu telah berangkat ke Tridiva, anak-anak lelaki mereka dengan mudah menenteramkan mereka melalui pemberian persembahan śrāddha.

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Word by Word

• ततः: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: क्रमवाचक अव्यय (then)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: ततस् (अव्यय)

• तेषु: when they (were) / among them
• Type: Noun
• Form: सर्वनाम, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), बहुवचन (Plural)
• Role: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)

• प्रयातेषु: when (they) had departed
• Type: Verb
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle) सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), बहुवचन (Plural), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine); लोकेटिव्-अब्सोल्यूट (locative absolute)
• Role: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Root: प्र + या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)

• त्रिदिवम्: to heaven
• Type: Noun
• Form: तत्पुरुष, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)
• Role: Gati-karma (गतिकर्म)
• Root: त्रिदिव (प्रातिपदिक)

• ब्रह्मवादिषु: among the Brahma-speakers (brahmavādins)
• Type: Noun
• Form: तत्पुरुष (brahma-vādin = speaker of Brahman/Veda), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), बहुवचन (Plural), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)
• Role: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Root: ब्रह्म + वादिन् (प्रातिपदिक)

• तत्पुत्राः: their sons
• Type: Noun
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (their sons), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: तद् + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)

• श्राद्धदानेन: by śrāddha-offering
• Type: Noun
• Form: तत्पुरुष (śrāddha-dāna = offering in śrāddha), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)
• Role: Karana (करण)
• Root: श्राद्ध + दान (प्रातिपदिक)

• तर्पयामासुः: they satisfied (propitiated)
• Type: Verb
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: तृप् (धातु) (णिच् causative: तर्पय)

• अञ्जसा: readily / directly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: रीतिवाचक अव्यय (adverb: easily/straightway)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Root: अञ्जसा (अव्यय)

Sandhi Notes

• ततस्तेषु = ततः + तेषु
• तत्पुत्राः = तत् + पुत्राः
• तर्पयामासुरञ्जसा = तर्पयामासुः + अञ्जसा

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Karuna rasaSetting: Ritual domestic/ancestral setting

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Reciprocity and indebtedness (ṛṇa)

Subjects

EthicsRitual PracticeAncestral Rites

Core idea

The living sustain the departed through ritual remembrance and offering; gratitude becomes a dharmic act that stabilizes lineage and mind.

In practice

Maintain regular ancestral rites (annual śrāddha, tarpaṇa), combine with dāna and purity of intention; treat remembrance as ethical discipline, not mere formality.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Dharma-śāstra Contexts
• Vedic Tradition

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a Purāṇic articulation of śrāddha as a socially transmitted duty, presenting intergenerational continuity (sons maintaining ancestral remembrance) in a manner consistent with broader Dharma literature.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific geographic location is named in this verse fragment; the setting is conceptual (tridiva, “heaven”) rather than topographical.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse foregrounds filial responsibility expressed through śrāddha-giving, emphasizing remembrance and gratitude toward predecessors as a sustaining cultural practice.