Matsya Purana — Sādhāraṇa Śrāddha: General Ancestral Rite, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

गन्धपुष्पैश्च संपूज्य वैश्वदेवं प्रति न्यसेत् विश्वे देवास इत्याभ्याम् आवाह्य विकिरेद्यवान् //

Transliteration

gandhapuṣpaiśca saṃpūjya vaiśvadevaṃ prati nyaset viśve devāsa ityābhyām āvāhya vikiredyavān //

Translation

गन्धपुष्पैः सम्यक् संपूज्य वैश्वदेवं प्रति न्यसेत्। “विश्वे देवासः” इत्याभ्याम् आवाह्य यवान् विकिरेत्॥

Word by Word

• गन्ध (gandha): fragrance/perfume

• पुष्पैः (puṣpaiḥ): with flowers

• च (ca): and

• संपूज्य (saṃpūjya): having worshipped properly

• वैश्वदेवम् (vaiśvadevam): the Vaiśvadeva rite/oblation to all gods

• प्रति (prati): towards/for

• न्यसेत् (nyaset): one should place/lay down (the offering)

• विश्वे देवासः (viśve devāsaḥ): the Viśvedevas (All-Gods, a collective class of deities)

• इति (iti): thus/with the words

• आभ्याम् (ābhyām): by these (two words/this formula)

• आवाह्य (āvāhya): having invoked

• विकिरेत् (vikiret): one should scatter/sprinkle

• यवान् (yavān): barley grains

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in instruction to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Vaiśvadeva
• Viśvedevas
• yava (barley)

Tags

• Vaiśvadeva
• Grihastha Dharma
• Daily Ritual
• Deva-invocation
• Offerings

FAQs

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

This verse is not about pralaya; it focuses on daily domestic worship (Vaiśvadeva) and the correct method of invoking the Viśvedevas and offering barley.

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

It outlines a householder’s (and by extension a king’s) nitya-karma: honoring the divine collective (Vaiśvadeva/Viśvedevas) through orderly worship—perfume and flowers followed by a grain offering—supporting dharma through daily discipline.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

The significance is ritual: it specifies sequencing (worship → placement of Vaiśvadeva offering → invocation formula → scattering barley), highlighting how mantras and materials (yava) are paired in Purāṇic domestic rites.