Shloka 6

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

Devanagari script

पितृमातृपराश्चैव ब्राह्मणाः श्राद्धदेवताः / रोगी हीनातिरिक्ताङ्गः काणः पौनर्भवस्तथा

Transliteration

pitṛmātṛparāścaiva brāhmaṇāḥ śrāddhadevatāḥ / rogī hīnātiriktāṅgaḥ kāṇaḥ paunarbhavastathā

Translation

پِتروں اور ماتا (ماتೃ) دیوتاؤں کے پرستار برہمن شِرادھ کے ادھِشٹھاتا دیوتا مانے جاتے ہیں۔ نیز بیمار، ناقص یا زائد اعضا والا، کانا، اور پونربھو (دوبارہ نکاح کرنے والا) بھی اس سیاق میں مذکور ہیں۔

Word by Word

• पितृमातृपराः: devoted to father and mother
• पितृमातृपराः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + मातृ (प्रातिपदिक) + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व (पितरौ मातरौ) + तत्पुरुष (तेषु पराः = devoted to)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• ब्राह्मणाः: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• श्राद्धदेवताः: deities of the śrāddha (i.e., Brahmins as recipients)
• श्राद्धदेवताः: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (श्राद्धस्य देवताः)

• रोगी: a sick person
• रोगी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• हीनातिरिक्ताङ्गः: having missing or extra limbs
• हीनातिरिक्ताङ्गः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हीन (प्रातिपदिक) + अतिरिक्त (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्वन्द्व (हीनं च अतिरिक्तं च) + तत्पुरुष (अङ्गम्) = having deficient or extra limbs

• काणः: one-eyed; squint-eyed
• काणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पौनर्भवः: one born again; remarried man/offspring of remarriage (paunarbhava)
• पौनर्भवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौनर्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तद्धितान्त (पुनर्भव-सम्बन्धी)

• तथा: likewise; also
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारार्थक-अव्यय (adverb: ‘thus/also’)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Pātra (fitness) matters in śrāddha: certain brāhmaṇas are treated as presiding deities due to pitṛ/mātṛ devotion; certain conditions (illness, bodily anomalies, one-eyed, remarriage) are traditionally flagged in recipient/participant selection.

Vedantic Theme: External ritual purity norms (vyavahāra) as a means to safeguard śraddhā and social order; ultimate Self is untouched, yet dharma operates through conventional qualifications.

Application: Select officiants/recipients per one’s tradition; apply rules with discernment and compassion—support those excluded materially without making them ritual recipients if śāstra in one’s lineage forbids; consult learned authorities for exceptions.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: śrāddha venue (household/ritual space)

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana śrāddha sections on pātra/apātra brāhmaṇas and śrāddha-devatā concept (contextual internal parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Mātṛs
• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the importance of choosing the right recipient in Garuda Purana śrāddha?

This verse frames qualified Brahmins—those devoted to Pitṛs/Mātṛs—as the effective divine channel (“śrāddha-devatāḥ”) through whom offerings reach the ancestors, making recipient selection central to the rite’s efficacy.

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

Indirectly: it emphasizes the śrāddha mechanism—offerings transmitted via proper ritual agents to the Pitṛs—supporting the departed’s post-death welfare as described across the Garuda Purana’s funeral and ancestral-rite teachings.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

When performing śrāddha/piṇḍa-dāna, prioritize learned, disciplined priests aligned with the purpose of Pitṛ rites, and follow your tradition’s dharmic guidelines on eligibility to keep the ritual focused, sincere, and properly conducted.