Matsya Purana — Śrāddha Procedure: Types, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

यत्रैते भुञ्जते श्राद्धे तदेव परमार्थवत् एते भोज्याः प्रयत्नेन वर्जनीयान्निबोध मे //

Transliteration

yatraite bhuñjate śrāddhe tadeva paramārthavat ete bhojyāḥ prayatnena varjanīyānnibodha me //

Translation

ਜਿੱਥੇ ਇਹ ਲੋਕ ਸ਼੍ਰਾਦ੍ਹ ਦੇ ਭੋਜਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਭੁੰਝਦੇ ਹਨ, ਉਹੀ ਕਰਮ ਪਰਮਾਰਥ-ਫਲਦਾਇਕ ਮੰਨਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਇਸ ਲਈ ਮੇਰੇ ਕੋਲੋਂ ਜਾਣੋ—ਕੁਝ ਨੂੰ ਯਤਨ ਨਾਲ ਭੋਜਨ ਕਰਾਉਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਕੁਝ ਨੂੰ ਯਤਨ ਨਾਲ ਤਿਆਗਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• yatra: where

• ete: these (persons)

• bhuñjate: eat/partake

• śrāddhe: in the śrāddha rite

• tad eva: that alone/that indeed

• paramārtha-vat: possessing the highest purpose, truly beneficial

• ete: these

• bhojyāḥ: fit to be fed/eligible recipients

• prayatnena: with effort, carefully

• varjanīyān: to be avoided/excluded

• nibodha: understand/know

• me: from me

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Matsya
• Śrāddha
• Pitṛs (ancestors)

Tags

• Śrāddha
• Ritual purity
• Dharma
• Householder duties
• Eligibility rules

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

This verse does not address pralaya; it focuses on dharma in the form of śrāddha procedure—specifically, the importance of choosing proper recipients for the offering.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

It frames śrāddha as a duty whose spiritual efficacy depends on correct eligibility: a householder (and likewise a king as upholder of dharma) must feed the worthy and deliberately exclude the unfit to preserve the rite’s intended merit.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual: the śrāddha becomes ‘truly fruitful’ when performed with proper selection of those who eat—highlighting recipient-eligibility (pātratā) as a key rule in śrāddha-vidhi.