Varaha Purana 187.92: Adhyaya 187, Shloka 92

Determination of the Origin and Procedure of the Ancestral Offering

Pitṛyajña/Śrāddha

Devanagari script

वाचयेत्स्नेहभावेन भूमिदेवा द्विजातयः ॥ सुवर्णं च हिरण्यं च यथोत्पन्नेन माधवि ॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 187.92

Transliteration

vācayet snehabhāvena bhūmidevā dvijātayaḥ || suvarṇaṃ ca hiraṇyaṃ ca yathotpannena mādhavi ||

Translation

Dengan sikap kasih sayang dan perhatian, hendaklah diminta ‘dewa-dewa di bumi’—golongan dvija, para brāhmaṇa berilmu—membacakan bacaan suci yang sesuai. Dan wahai Mādhavī, hendaklah dipersembahkan emas serta harta menurut apa yang telah diperoleh.

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Word by Word

• vācayet: should make (them) recite / should have read
• vācayet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु) causative (णिच्)
• Form: Optative/vidhiliṅ (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person, Singular; causative: ‘should cause to recite/read’

• sneha-bhāvena: with affection
• sneha-bhāvena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sneha (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; तत्पुरुषः: ‘with a feeling of affection’

• bhūmi-devāḥ: the ‘gods on earth’ (Brahmins)
• bhūmi-devāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Nominative (1st), Plural; कर्मधारयः: ‘earth-gods’ = brāhmaṇas

• dvijātayaḥ: the twice-born
• dvijātayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvijāti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Nominative (1st), Plural; appositional to bhūmi-devāḥ

• suvarṇam: gold
• suvarṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suvarṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• hiraṇyam: gold/treasure (hiraṇya)
• hiraṇyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hiraṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• yathā-utpannena: with whatever has been obtained (as available)
• yathā-utpannena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + utpanna (उत्+पद्/उत्+पत् धातु, क्त)
• Form: Napumsaka, Instrumental (3rd), Singular; ‘with what has arisen/been obtained as per one’s means’; yathā is indeclinable used adverbially with utpannena

• mādhavi: O Mādhavī
• mādhavi: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mādhavī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular; संबोधन

Speaker

Varāha (default, dialogue framework)

Tags

• Purāṇic Literature
• Gift Culture (Dāna)
• Ritual Recitation
• Householder Dharma

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It documents the institutional role of learned reciters and the economy of gifting in domestic ritual life, reflecting broader South Asian patterns of patronage.

Which geographic location is identified?

No location is specified; the verse describes a ritual-social practice applicable across regions.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

To combine care (sneha) with responsible giving—supporting learned specialists without prescribing ruinous expenditure.