Shloka 2

श्राद्ध-योग्य द्रव्य, निषेध, तथा गयाश्राद्ध-माहात्म्य (Śrāddha Materials, Prohibitions, and the Glory of Gayā)

Devanagari script

औरभ्रगव्यैश् च तथा मासवृद्ध्या पितामहाः प्रयान्ति तृप्तिं मांसैस् तु नित्यं वार्ध्रीणसाम् इषैः

Transliteration

aurabhragavyaiś ca tathā māsavṛddhyā pitāmahāḥ prayānti tṛptiṃ māṃsais tu nityaṃ vārdhrīṇasām iṣaiḥ

Translation

औरभ्रगव्यैर्मांसैश्च तथा मासवृद्ध्या पितामहाः तृप्तिं प्रयान्ति; वार्ध्रीणसाम् इषाभिश्च नित्यं तृप्यन्ति।

Word by Word

औरभ्रwith sheep/ram (meat)

गव्यैःwith bovine/cow-related (meat)

चand

तथाalso

मासवृद्ध्याby month-by-month increase (in merit/benefit)

पितामहाःthe grandfathers/ancestors

प्रयान्तिattain/go to

तृप्तिम्satisfaction/contentment

मांसैःwith meats

तुindeed

नित्यम्always

वार्ध्रीणसाम्of vārdhrīṇasa (a kind of animal)

इषैःwith foods/nourishments

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Specific offerings (including monthly rite) that satisfy Pitāmahas and prescribed oblations (vārdhrīṇasa)

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Manvantara: Vaivasvata

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Prescribed offerings—specific meats and periodic (monthly) rites—are said to gratify the Pitāmahas, underscoring cyclical duty and precision in dharma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Keep regular rhythms of remembrance and giving (monthly/annual observances), emphasizing sincerity and consistency over extravagance.

Vishishtadvaita: Ritual duty functions within a real relational cosmos; offerings express service and dependence, harmonizing household life with the Lord’s ordained order.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

Pitṛs (ancestors)

Pitāmahas (grandfathers)

FAQs

What is the significance of Śrāddha offerings to the Pitṛs in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse states that specific prescribed offerings (including particular food/meat oblations and monthly rites) directly lead to the satisfaction of the ancestors, showing Śrāddha as a dharmic mechanism for sustaining ancestral welfare and lineage continuity.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the efficacy of offerings in this context?

Parāśara frames efficacy in terms of tṛpti (satisfaction): when rites are performed according to rule (including māsa-vṛddhi and designated oblations), the Pitṛs ‘attain satisfaction,’ indicating a structured, law-governed ritual economy within dharma.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here, even if not named in the verse?

In the Vishnu Purana, dharma and cosmic order ultimately rest on Vishnu’s sovereignty; thus, the verse’s ritual prescriptions function within a Vishnu-grounded universe where righteous action maintains harmony between the living and the ancestral realm.