Varaha Purana 13.45: Adhyaya 13, Shloka 45
The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times
Pūrva Bhāga · Pitṛ-kāla / Śrāddha-kāla (ancestral rites timing) within Māgha-māhātmya themes
माघासिते पञ्चदशी कदाचिदुपैति योगं यदि वारुणेन । ऋक्षेण कालः परमः पितॄणां न त्वल्पपुण्यैर्द्विज लभ्यतेऽसौ ॥ १३.४५ ॥
māghāsite pañcadaśī kadācid upaiti yogaṃ yadi vāruṇena | ṛkṣeṇa kālaḥ paramaḥ pitṝṇāṃ na tv alpapuṇyair dvija labhyate 'sau || 13.45 ||
mAghAsite pa~nchadashI kadAchi- dupaiti yogaM yadi vAruNena | RRikSheNa kAlaH paramaH pitRRINAM na tvalpapuNyairdvija labhyate.asau || 13.45 ||
โอ พราหมณ์! เมื่อปัญจทศี (อมาวาสยา) ในปักษ์มืดเดือนมาฆะ บางคราวบรรจบเป็นโยคะกับนักษัตรวารุณะ ขณะนั้นนับเป็นกาลสูงสุดสำหรับพิธีแด่ปิตฤ; ผู้มีบุญน้อยย่อมไม่อาจได้กาลนั้น.
Sandhi Notes
- māghāsite → māgha-asite
- kadācidupaiti → kadācit upaiti
- tv alpapuṇyair → tu alpa-puṇyaiḥ
- labhyate 'sau → labhyate asau
Varāha
Curious
Which rare astronomical conjunction makes a moment supremely fit for Pitṛ offerings, and who is eligible to obtain it?
Spiritual opportunities are conditioned by prior merit; preparedness determines access to ‘supreme moments’.
Track tithi–nakṣatra conjunctions; cultivate puṇya through regular dharma so that rare auspicious windows are not wasted.
Nakṣatra-tithi yoga represents the cosmos as a ritual calendar-body; aligning offerings with stellar order mirrors yajña performed at the ‘right limb’ of cosmic Varāha.
Vāruṇa (waters/cosmic order) underscores tarpaṇa’s watery medium; the ‘supreme time’ is a cosmic confluence where offering-stream is most ‘conductive’.
Eligibility (adhikāra) arises from prior saṃskāra and puṇya; dharma is both opportunity and preparedness—outer time meets inner fitness.
Māgha kṛṣṇa pañcadaśī coinciding with Vāruṇa nakṣatra is declared a ‘parama-kāla’ for Pitṛ rites; such opportunity is accessed through accumulated merit.
Those with sufficient puṇya gain access and reap heightened Pitṛ satisfaction; the ‘alpapuṇya’ miss or fail to benefit fully from the supreme timing.
Varāha Purāṇa 13.13.43 (listing sacred times); Varāha Purāṇa 13.13.46-47 (further nakṣatra/fortnight fruits)
FAQs
It reflects Purāṇic calendrical culture, where specific tithis (lunar days) and nakṣatras (lunar mansions) are correlated with ritual efficacy, especially for ancestral observances (Pitṛ-related rites).
No explicit geographic location appears in this verse; it is primarily a calendrical-astral specification (Māgha, kṛṣṇa-pakṣa, pañcadaśī, and Vāruṇa nakṣatra).
The verse frames ritual opportunity as linked to puṇya (accumulated merit), implying ethical preparation and disciplined conduct as prerequisites for accessing especially auspicious ritual times.
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