Varaha Purana 13.38: Adhyaya 13, Shloka 38

The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times

Pūrva Bhāga · Śrāddha-kāla-nirṇaya (Ancestral Rites and Ritual Timing)

Devanagari script

अमावास्या यदा आर्द्राविशाखास्वातियोगिनो । श्राद्धैः पितृगणस्तृप्तिं तदाप्नोत्यष्टवार्षिकीम् ॥ १३.३८ ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 13.38

Transliteration

amāvāsyā yadā ārdrāviśākhāsvātiyogino | śrāddhaiḥ pitṛgaṇas tṛptiṃ tadāpnoty aṣṭavārṣikīm || 13.38 ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

अमावास्या यदा आर्द्राविशाखास्वातियोगिनो भवति, तदा श्राद्धैः पितृगणोऽष्टवार्षिकीं तृप्तिमवाप्नोति।

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Word by Word

• amāvāsyā: new-moon day
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: amāvāsyā (प्रातिपदिक)

• yadā: when
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Indeclinable (अव्यय); temporal adverb (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण)
• Role: Kāla (काल)
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)

• ārdrā-viśākhā-svāti-yoginaḥ: (when it is) in conjunction with Ārdrā, Viśākhā, and Svātī (nakṣatras)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); समासः—आर्द्राविशाखास्वातिभिः योगः यस्य/येषां ते इति (योगिन्-शब्दः) तत्पुरुषसमासः; amāvāsyā-विशेषणम्
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: ārdrā (प्रातिपदिक) + viśākhā (प्रातिपदिक) + svāti (प्रातिपदिक) + yogin (प्रातिपदिक)

• śrāddhaiḥ: by śrāddha rites
• Type: Noun
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन)
• Role: Karaṇa (करण)
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)

• pitṛ-gaṇaḥ: the group of ancestors
• Type: Noun
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); समासः—पितॄणां गणः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)

• tṛptim: satisfaction
• Type: Noun
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: tṛpti (प्रातिपदिक)

• tadā: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Indeclinable (अव्यय); temporal adverb (कालवाचक)
• Role: Kāla (काल)
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)

• āpnoti: attains/obtains
• Type: Verb
• Form: Present (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Root: āp (आप् धातु)

• aṣṭa-vārṣikīm: eight-year (lasting)
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); द्विगुसमासः—अष्ट (संख्या) + वार्षिकी; tṛptim-विशेषणम्
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: aṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + vārṣikī (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• ārdrāviśākhāsvātiyogino = ārdrā-viśākhā-svāti-yoginaḥ
• pitṛgaṇas = pitṛ-gaṇaḥ
• tadāpnoti = tadā + āpnoti

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Adbhuta rasa

Speaker

Varāha

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Karma-adhikāra / kāla-viśeṣa (time-specific dharma)

Subjects

EthicsRitual StudiesCultural Heritage

Core idea

Karmic yield of śrāddha is amplified by auspicious temporal conjunctions (tithi with nakṣatra).

In practice

Consult pañcāṅga; schedule śrāddha on these yogas for family pitṛ-tarpaṇa and continuity of lineage blessings.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Dharma-śāstra Interface
• Ritual Calendrics

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It reflects a Purāṇic synthesis of ritual practice with calendrical astronomy (nakṣatra-based timing), illustrating how medieval Sanskrit traditions systematized ancestral rites (śrāddha) within a broader cultural-legal framework.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific geographic site is named in this verse; it focuses on temporal markers (amāvāsyā and nakṣatras) rather than sacred geography.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse emphasizes responsible remembrance and care for ancestors through properly timed, culturally sanctioned rites—an ethic of intergenerational duty expressed via ritual observance.