Matsya Purana — Sādhāraṇa Śrāddha: General Ancestral Rite, Shloka 42
अग्निदग्धास्तु ये जीवा ये ऽप्यदग्धाः कुले मम भूमौ दत्तेन तृप्यन्तु प्रयान्तु परमां गतिम् //
agnidagdhāstu ye jīvā ye 'pyadagdhāḥ kule mama bhūmau dattena tṛpyantu prayāntu paramāṃ gatim //
अग्निदग्धा ये जीवा मम कुले, ये चादग्धाः, ते भूमिदानेन तृप्यन्तु; परमां गतिं प्रयान्तु॥
FAQs
This verse is not about cosmic pralaya; it focuses on post-death welfare—how merit from bhūmi-dāna can aid departed beings of one’s lineage, regardless of whether cremation rites were completed.
It frames a core duty of the gṛhastha (and by extension a righteous king): supporting ancestral rites through dāna. Bhūmi-dāna is presented as a high-impact gift whose merit is directed to the family’s departed, aiming at their satisfaction and higher passage.
Ritually, it highlights bhūmi-dāna (gift of land) as a potent śrāddha-associated offering; architecturally it is indirect, but land-gift underpins sacred works (temples, āśramas, ritual grounds) that generate enduring merit transferable to pitṛs.