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Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 26

Śrāddha-prayoga: Niyama, Brāhmaṇa-parīkṣā, Kutapa-kāla, Tithi-nyāya, and Vaiṣṇava-phala

Devanagari script

क्षयाहस्य तिथैर्विप्र यदि दंडमितिर्भवेत् । विद्धापराह्णि कायां तु श्राद्धं कार्यं विजानता ॥ २६ ॥

Transliteration

kṣayāhasya tithairvipra yadi daṃḍamitirbhavet | viddhāparāhṇi kāyāṃ tu śrāddhaṃ kāryaṃ vijānatā || 26 ||

Translation

ఓ విప్రా! క్షయాహ దినంలో తిథులు దండమాత్ర కాలమే ఉంటే, నియమం తెలిసినవాడు విద్ధ-అపరాహ్ణ సమయంలో శ్రాద్ధం చేయాలి.

Word by Word
क्षयाहस्यof the day of decay/waning (kṣayāha)
क्षयाहस्य:
सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
TypeNoun
Rootक्षय + अहस् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formतत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘क्षयस्य अहः’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular
तिथैःby the lunar dates (tithis)
तिथैः:
करण (Karaṇa/Instrument)
TypeNoun
Rootतिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन — Instrumental plural
विप्रO Brahmin
विप्र:
सम्बोधन (Address)
TypeNoun
Rootविप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन
यदिif
यदि:
सम्बन्ध (Condition)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयदि (अव्यय)
Formशर्त-सम्बन्धक-अव्यय (conditional particle)
दण्डमितिःa measure of one daṇḍa (time-measure)
दण्डमितिः:
कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootदण्ड + मिति (प्रातिपदिक)
Formतत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः: ‘दण्ड-परिमाणम्’), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular
भवेत्would be
भवेत्:
क्रिया (Verb)
TypeVerb
Rootभू (धातु)
Formविधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — परस्मैपद; ‘would be/occur’
विद्धhaving begun / having been reached
विद्ध:
अधिकरण (Locative absolute)
TypeAdjective
Rootविद् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय) → विद्ध (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
Formभूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — used in locative absolute sense with ‘अपराह्णि’ (‘when afternoon is ‘pierced’/entered)
अपराह्णिin the afternoon
अपराह्णि:
अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Time)
TypeNoun
Rootअपराह्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular
कायाम्in the body/person
कायाम्:
अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location)
TypeNoun
Rootकाया (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular; here ‘in the body/person’ (contextual)
तुindeed
तु:
सम्बन्ध (Particle)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु (अव्यय)
Formनिपात (particle), विशेष/विरोध (emphasis/contrast)
श्राद्धम्śrāddha rite
श्राद्धम्:
कर्म (Karma/Object)
TypeNoun
Rootश्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Nominative/Accusative singular
कार्यम्should be performed
कार्यम्:
विधेय (Obligation predicate)
TypeVerb
Rootकृ (धातु) + यत् (प्रत्यय) → कार्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
Formकर्तव्यता-वाचक कृदन्त (gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘should be done’
विजानताby one who knows/understands
विजानता:
कर्ता (Karta/Agent; in instruction)
TypeNoun
Rootवि-ज्ञा (धातु) + शतृ (प्रत्यय) → विजानत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
Formवर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental singular; ‘by one who knows’
Speaker

Sanatkumara (teaching Narada on śrāddha timing rules)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities
N
Narada
V
Vipra (Brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

It stresses that ancestral rites (śrāddha) must be aligned with precise sacred time (kāla); correct timing safeguards the rite’s efficacy and honors the pitṛs according to dharma.

Indirectly: by teaching careful, faithful observance of dharmic rites, it cultivates śraddhā (reverent trust) and disciplined devotion—foundational attitudes that support Vishnu-bhakti in the Purāṇic worldview.

Jyotiṣa (Vedāṅga astrology/kalā-nirṇaya): deciding ritual timing using tithi behavior (kṣaya), aparāhṇa (afternoon window), and viddhā (overlap) considerations, including very short ‘daṇḍa’-length tithis.

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