Varaha Purana 13.41 — Adhyaya 13, Shloka 41
The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times
नवस्वर्क्षेष्वमावास्या यदा तेषु द्विजोत्तम । तदा श्राद्धानि देयानि अक्षय्यफलमिच्छताम् । अपि कोटिसहस्रेण पुण्यस्यान्तो न विद्यते ॥ १३.४१ ॥
navasvarkṣeṣv amāvāsyā yadā teṣu dvijottama | tadā śrāddhāni deyāni akṣayyaphalam icchatām | api koṭisahasreṇa puṇyasyānto na vidyate || 13.41 ||
О лучший из дважды-рождённых, когда амавасья совпадает с теми девятью лунными стоянками, тогда желающие нетленного плода (akṣayya) должны совершать подношения шраддхи; даже исчисляя сотнями тысяч коти, не найти конца этой заслуге.
Varāha (default speaker per dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious","key_question":"Which amāvāsyā–nakṣatra conjunctions yield akṣaya (imperishable) fruit for śrāddha?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"shraddha","instruction_summary":"When amāvāsyā falls in any of the nine specified nakṣatras, offer śrāddha for akṣaya-phala; the merit is effectively limitless.","karmic_consequence":"Observance yields inexhaustible puṇya and enduring pitṛ benefit; neglect loses an ‘akṣaya’ opportunity."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"‘Akṣaya-phala’ frames śrāddha as participation in an inexhaustible sacrificial economy—time (kāla) becomes a vessel of undiminishing merit when aligned with dharma.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Implicit yajña logic: offerings (piṇḍa/tarpaṇa) placed into the ‘mouth’ of sacred time; the nine nakṣatras function like nine gates amplifying the oblation’s reach.","vedantic_connection":"Merit’s ‘limitlessness’ hints at brahma-sambandha through niṣkāma, śāstra-aligned action: finite acts can yield enduring saṃskāra when performed in harmony with ṛta."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics of intentionality + sacred time","core_concept":"Dharma is not only what is done, but when and with what aim (akṣaya-phala).","practical_application":"Maintain a family pañcāṅga record; when such yogas arise, perform śrāddha with dana (til, anna, vastra) and sincere sankalpa for lineage welfare."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Studies","Calendrical/Cosmological Time (Nakṣatra and Lunar Observance)"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: ritual-time (nine nakṣatra set)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 13.13.38-40 (preceding yogas and durations); Varāha Purāṇa 13.13.42 (additional secret śrāddha times)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha addresses a learned brāhmaṇa (‘dvijottama’) and proclaims akṣaya merit; the background shows a ninefold nakṣatra mandala radiating light over a śrāddha rite.","item_prompts":["Varāha teaching","dvijottama listening with folded hands","ninefold star mandala","scroll listing nakṣatras","piṇḍa and tarpaṇa vessel","radiant aura signifying akṣaya puṇya"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: symmetrical nine-star mandala behind Varāha, bold sacred geometry, ritual items foreground, calm didactic faces.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf nine-star halo, embossed ornaments, rich altar details, akṣaya radiance rendered as gilded rays.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined classroom-like discourse, detailed manuscript and pañcāṅga, soft luminous mandala, restrained grandeur.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical teacher-disciple scene, nine stars as delicate motifs in the sky, gentle color gradients, intimate devotion."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"uplifting, proclamatory","suggested_raga":"Śrī or Kalyāṇ","pace":"medium with heightened emphasis on ‘akṣayya-phalam’ and ‘na vidyate’","voice_tone":"clear, resonant, inspiring"}
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic integration of ritual practice with astral-lunar calendrics, showing how śrāddha observances were framed through nakṣatra timing and the concept of accumulating puṇya (merit) in classical Sanskrit literature.
No specific geographic site is named in this verse; the reference is calendrical (amāvāsyā and nakṣatra groupings) rather than topographical.
The verse presents a normative instruction to perform ancestral offerings (śrāddha) at an auspicious calendrical conjunction, emphasizing intentional giving and continuity of merit as a guiding principle.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.