Varaha Purana 13.46: Adhyaya 13, Shloka 46
The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times
Pūrva Bhāga · Pitṛ-kriyā and Dāna (ancestral offerings and ritual charity)
काले धनिष्ठा यदि नाम तस्मिन् भवेत् तु विप्रेन्द्र सदा पितृभ्यः । दत्तं जलान्नं प्रददाति तृप्तिं वर्षायुतं तत्कुलजैर्मनुष्यैः ॥ १३.४६ ॥
kāle dhaniṣṭhā yadi nāma tasmin bhavet tu viprendra sadā pitṛbhyaḥ | dattaṃ jalānnaṃ pradadāti tṛptiṃ varṣāyutaṃ tatkulajair manuṣyaiḥ || 13.46 ||
kAle dhaniShThA yadi nAma tasmin bhavettu viprendra sadA pitRRibhyaH | dattaM jalAnnaM pradadAti tRRiptiM varShAyutaM tatkulajairmanuShyaiH || 13.46 ||
ஓ விப்ரேந்திரா! அந்த நேரத்தில் தனிஷ்டா நக்ஷத்திரம் இருந்தால், பித்ருக்களுக்காக அளிக்கப்படும் நீரும் அன்னமும், அந்த குலத்தின் சந்ததியர் செய்யும் அந்த அர்ப்பணத்தால் எப்போதும் திருப்தியை அளிக்கும்; அந்தத் திருப்தி பத்தாயிரம் ஆண்டுகள் நீடிக்கும்.
Sandhi Notes
- viprendra → vipra-indra
- jalānnaṃ → jala-annam
- tatkulajair → tat-kulajaiḥ
Varāha
Curious
What additional nakṣatra condition multiplies the duration of Pitṛ satisfaction, and how does it benefit an entire lineage?
Dharma operates through continuity—descendants sustain ancestral well-being; ritual is a social-metaphysical bond.
Maintain regular śrāddha and tarpaṇa; when Dhaniṣṭhā-yoga occurs, prioritize offerings of water and food with purity and dedication.
Lineage (kula) is portrayed as a ritual conduit across time; nakṣatra alignment ‘locks in’ the offering’s efficacy, echoing yajña as a cosmic stabilizer.
Dhaniṣṭhā (associated with prosperity/vasu themes in later tradition) resonates with ‘sustenance’—offerings become enduring nourishment for Pitṛs.
Interdependence of generations illustrates dharmic causality: individual action participates in a larger continuum; gratitude becomes a mode of self-transcendence.
If Dhaniṣṭhā nakṣatra occurs at the stated auspicious time, then water-and-food offerings to Pitṛs grant them satisfaction for ten thousand years, sustained through descendants’ acts.
Proper śrāddha/tarpaṇa under this yoga yields long-duration Pitṛ contentment and strengthens kula continuity; neglect weakens ancestral satisfaction and forfeits extended benefit.
Varāha Purāṇa 13.13.44 (tila-water offering); Varāha Purāṇa 13.13.47 (paitṛka fortnight and yuga-long rest)
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic synthesis of calendrical astronomy (nakṣatra timing) with household ritual ethics, presenting merit and ancestral satisfaction as linked to properly timed acts of dāna and pitṛ-related offerings.
No explicit geographic site is named in this verse; the focus is temporal (the Dhaniṣṭhā nakṣatra) rather than spatial.
The verse emphasizes sustained responsibility toward ancestors through charitable offerings of basic sustenance (water and food), especially when performed at an auspicious calendrical time.
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