Varaha Purana 13.45: Adhyaya 13, Shloka 45

The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times

Devanagari script

माघासिते पञ्चदशी कदाचिदुपैति योगं यदि वारुणेन । ऋक्षेण कालः परमः पितॄणां न त्वल्पपुण्यैर्द्विज लभ्यतेऽसौ ॥ १३.४५ ॥

Sanskrit recitationVaraha Purana 13.45

Transliteration

māghāsite pañcadaśī kadācid upaiti yogaṃ yadi vāruṇena | ṛkṣeṇa kālaḥ paramaḥ pitṝṇāṃ na tv alpapuṇyair dvija labhyate 'sau || 13.45 ||

Translation

O brāhmaṇa, kapag ang ikalabinlimang tithi ng madilim na kalahati sa buwang Māgha ay minsang tumapat sa bituing Vāruṇa (asterismo), ang sandaling iyon ay itinuturing na pinakadakilang panahon para sa mga Pitṛ; hindi ito naaabot ng mga may kaunting kabutihang-loob (puṇya).

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Word by Word

• māgha-asite: in the dark fortnight of Māgha
• māgha-asite: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māgha (प्रातिपदिक) + asita (प्रातिपदिक) + pakṣa implicit
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); sense: 'māghasya asite (pakṣe)' = in Māgha's dark fortnight

• pañcadaśī: the fifteenth lunar day
• pañcadaśī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañcadaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• kadācit: sometimes/at times
• kadācit: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadācit (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb of time (कालवाचक)

• upaiti: attains/comes to
• upaiti: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√i (इ धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• yogam: conjunction/auspicious combination
• yogam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conditional particle (शर्तसूचक)

• vāruṇena: with Vāruṇa (asterism)
• vāruṇena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāruṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter/Masculine (contextual), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); here: by/with (the star/asterism) Vāruṇa

• ṛkṣeṇa: by (that) nakṣatra
• ṛkṣeṇa: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); 'ṛkṣa' = nakṣatra/asterism

• kālaḥ: time
• kālaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• paramaḥ: supreme/excellent
• paramaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies 'kālaḥ'

• pitṝṇām: of the Pitṛs
• pitṝṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), negation particle (निषेध)

• tu: however
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adversative/emphatic particle (तु)

• alpa-puṇyaiḥ: by scant merits
• alpa-puṇyaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: alpa (प्रातिपदिक) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग) used substantively, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन); कर्मधारय: 'alpāni puṇyāni'

• dvija: O twice-born (brāhmaṇa)
• dvija: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• labhyate: is obtained
• labhyate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (लभ् धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); passive-like sense 'is obtained'

• asau: that (time)
• asau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Demonstrative pronoun (अदस्), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Varāha (default dialogue framework; speaker not explicit in the excerpt)

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Vaiṣṇavism
• Indic Calendrics

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

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).

Which geographic location is identified?

No explicit geographic location appears in this verse; it is primarily a calendrical-astral specification (Māgha, kṛṣṇa-pakṣa, pañcadaśī, and Vāruṇa nakṣatra).

What is the primary ethical instruction?

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.