Shloka 23

Śrāddha Vidhi: Kāla (Timing), Pātra (Recipient), and Karma (Procedure) for Pitṛ-tarpaṇa and Piṇḍa

Devanagari script

उच्छिष्टसन्निधौ पिण्डान्प्रदद्यात्पितृयज्ञवत् / मातामहानामप्यवं दद्यादाचमनं ततः

Transliteration

ucchiṣṭasannidhau piṇḍānpradadyātpitṛyajñavat / mātāmahānāmapyavaṃ dadyādācamanaṃ tataḥ

Translation

اُچھِشٹ کے پاس پِتر یَجْیَہ کی وِدھی کے مطابق پِنڈ پیش کرے۔ ناناؤں کے لیے بھی ‘اَو’ نذر کرے، پھر آچمن (پانی چُس کر شُدھی) کرے۔

Word by Word

• ucchiṣṭa-sannidhau: in the presence of remnants (leftovers)
• ucchiṣṭa-sannidhau: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ucchiṣṭa + sannidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः (ucchiṣṭasya sannidhau)

• piṇḍān: rice-balls (piṇḍas)
• piṇḍān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन

• pradadyāt: should offer/give forth
• pradadyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√dā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• pitṛ-yajña-vat: as in the pitṛ-yajña rite
• pitṛ-yajña-vat: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pitṛ + yajña + vat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वत्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (manner-adverb); ‘pitṛyajña’ तत्पुरुषः

• mātāmahānām: of the maternal grandfathers
• mātāmahānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-भावबोधक-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• avam: an offering/portion (ava)
• avam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन (ritual offering/portion)

• dadyāt: should give
• dadyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• ācamanaṃ: sipping (ritual water)
• ācamanaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ācamana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/कालबोधक-अव्यय (adverb: thereafter/from that)

Speaker

Lord Viṣṇu (in instruction to Garuḍa/Vinatā-putra)

Shraddha Ritual

Ritual Type: Parvana

Beneficiary: Pitr

Timing: Mid-śrāddha, after preliminary anna/udaka steps and before concluding invocations

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Piṇḍa-dāna should follow Pitṛ-yajña procedure; obligations include paternal and maternal ancestral lines; ācamana restores ritual purity after offerings.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma as harmonizing social-cosmic order; honoring both lineages reduces saṃskāra burdens and steadies the mind for higher aims.

Application: Offer piṇḍas exactly as in Pitṛ-yajña; remember maternal grandfathers with the ava offering; conclude with ācamana to re-establish śauca.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: domestic ritual space

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.99.22–26: sequential śrāddha steps (anna/udaka → piṇḍa → svasti/akṣayya-udaka → svadhā → viśvedevas)

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Mātāmahas (maternal grandfathers)

FAQs

What is the importance of Piṇḍa-dāna in the Garuḍa Purāṇa?

This verse frames piṇḍa offerings as a formal Pitṛ-yajña act—an obligatory ancestral rite—emphasizing correct procedure and ritual purification (ācamana).

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

Indirectly: by stressing Pitṛ-yajña-style offerings to ancestors (including maternal lineage), it reflects the Purāṇic view that proper śrāddha supports the departed and maintains ancestral well-being in post-death states.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

When performing śrāddha or ancestral rites, include maternal ancestors appropriately, follow prescribed offering order, and conclude with ācamana as a marker of ritual cleanliness and closure.