Shloka 28

गृहस्थस्य सदाचारः: शौच, तर্পण, वैश्वदेव, अतिथिधर्म, भोजन-विधि, संध्योपासन, ऋतु-धर्मः

Devanagari script

त्रिर् अपः प्रीणनार्थाय देवानाम् अपवर्जयेत् तथर्षीणां यथान्यायं सकृच् चापि प्रजापतेः

Transliteration

trir apaḥ prīṇanārthāya devānām apavarjayet tatharṣīṇāṃ yathānyāyaṃ sakṛc cāpi prajāpateḥ

Translation

தேவர்களின் திருப்திக்காக மூன்று முறை நீர் அர்ப்பணிக்க வேண்டும்; ரிஷிகளுக்கு விதிப்படி; மேலும் பிரஜாபதிக்கொரு முறை—இவ்வாறு தர்மப்படி செயல் நிறைவேற்ற வேண்டும்।

Word by Word

त्रिःthrice

अपःwaters (libations)

प्रीणन-अर्थायfor the purpose of pleasing

देवानाम्of the gods

अपवर्जयेत्should offer/dispense (libations)

तथाlikewise

ऋषीणाम्of the sages

यथा-न्यायम्according to proper rule

सकृत्once

चand

अपिalso

प्रजापतेःof Prajāpati

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Characters & Entities

Devas

Rishis (Ṛṣis)

Prajapati (Prajāpati)

FAQs

What is the significance of offering water (tarpana) to the Devas, Ṛṣis, and Prajāpati in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames tarpana as a dharmic act that sustains cosmic reciprocity—honoring divine powers, the seer-tradition, and the progenitive principle (Prajāpati) through prescribed offerings.

How does Sage Parāśara explain proper procedure in this rite?

He specifies regulated counts and recipients: water is offered three times to the Devas, appropriately to the Ṛṣis according to rule, and once to Prajāpati—emphasizing disciplined conformity to śāstra.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this ritual context?

Even when Vishnu is not named, the Purana’s dharma-teaching assumes a Vishnu-centered order: rites uphold the divinely governed cosmos, where all functions (Devas, Ṛṣis, creation) operate under the Supreme Reality’s sovereignty.