Varaha Purana 13.42: Adhyaya 13, Shloka 42
The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times
Pūrva Bhāga · Śrāddha-kāla-nirṇaya (Ancestral rites: calendrical timing)
अथापरं पितरः श्राद्धकालं रहस्यमस्मत् प्रवदन्ति पुण्यम् । वैशाखमासस्य तु या तृतीया नवम्यसौ कार्त्तिकशुक्लपक्षे ॥ १३.४२ ॥
athāparaṃ pitaraḥ śrāddhakālaṃ rahasyam asmat pravadanti puṇyam | vaiśākhamāsasya tu yā tṛtīyā navamy asau kārttikaśuklapakṣe || 13.42 ||
athAparaM pitaraH shrAddhakAlaM rahasyamasmat pravadanti puNyam | vaishAkhamAsasya tu yA tRRitIyA navamyasau kArttikashuklapakShe || 13.42 ||
Затем Питры (духи предков) возвещают нам благочестивую тайну о надлежащем времени для обрядов шраддхи: а именно, третий титхи месяца Вайшакха и также девятый титхи в светлой половине месяца Карттика.
Sandhi Notes
- athāparam → atha aparam
- rahasyam asmat (no sandhi in IAST)
- navamy asau → navamī asau
- kārttikaśuklapakṣe → kārttika-śukla-pakṣe
Varāha
Some dharmic efficacies are ‘rahasya’—known through lineage transmission and śāstra, not mere inference.
Treat Vaiśākha tṛtīyā and Kārttika śukla navamī as priority days for śrāddha/tarpaṇa plus dana; combine with Viṣṇu-smaraṇa for integrated duty and devotion.
Pitṛs ‘declare a secret’ underscores revelation-through-tradition: dharma is a transmitted subtle knowledge where time-windows act as hidden conduits between worlds.
Seasonal yajña resonance: Vaiśākha and Kārttika are classic Viṣṇu-centered months; śrāddha performed then links pitṛ-yajña with Viṣṇu-yajña, as if offerings ride on Viṣṇu’s calendrical currents.
Bridges pitṛ-loka duty with bhakti-inflected cosmology: honoring ancestors within Viṣṇu-favored months integrates pravṛtti-dharma with a higher theistic orientation.
A ‘secret’ śrāddha-kāla is taught: Vaiśākha śukla tṛtīyā and Kārttika śukla navamī are especially meritorious for pitṛ rites.
Observance grants heightened puṇya and pitṛ satisfaction; disregard misses a specially endorsed, tradition-transmitted timing.
Vaiśākha-śukla Tṛtīyā (Akṣaya-tṛtīyā-associated śrāddha-kāla) and Kārttika-śukla Navamī śrāddha observance
Enhanced, ‘pūṇya-rahasya’ merit and strong pitṛ-prasāda; supports lineage continuity and auspiciousness.
Varāha Purāṇa 13.13.38-41 (amāvāsyā–nakṣatra śrāddha-kāla)
FAQs
It preserves a Purāṇic rule-of-thumb for calendrical selection (tithi-based timing) of śrāddha, reflecting how Purāṇas often transmit ritual norms alongside narrative material.
No specific geographic site is named in this verse; the reference is calendrical (Vaiśākha and Kārttika months; tṛtīyā and navamī tithis).
The verse frames ancestral rites as a puṇya-generating duty and emphasizes performing them at culturally authorized times, presenting ritual attentiveness as an ethical discipline.
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