Varaha Purana 13.42: Adhyaya 13, Shloka 42
The Genealogy of the Pitṛs and the Determination of Śrāddha Times
अथापरं पितरः श्राद्धकालं रहस्यमस्मत् प्रवदन्ति पुण्यम् । वैशाखमासस्य तु या तृतीया नवम्यसौ कार्त्तिकशुक्लपक्षे ॥ १३.४२ ॥
athāparaṃ pitaraḥ śrāddhakālaṃ rahasyam asmat pravadanti puṇyam | vaiśākhamāsasya tu yā tṛtīyā navamy asau kārttikaśuklapakṣe || 13.42 ||
پھر پِتر ہمیں شرادھ کے وقت کا ایک پُنیہ بھرا راز بتاتے ہیں: ویشاکھ ماہ کی تِرتِیا، اور نیز کارتِک کے شُکل پکش کی نَومی۔
Varāha (default instructor voice; Pitṛs quoted within the verse)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"shraddha","instruction_summary":"A ‘secret’ śrāddha-kāla is taught: Vaiśākha śukla tṛtīyā and Kārttika śukla navamī are especially meritorious for pitṛ rites.","karmic_consequence":"Observance grants heightened puṇya and pitṛ satisfaction; disregard misses a specially endorsed, tradition-transmitted timing."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":true,"vrata_name":"Vaiśākha-śukla Tṛtīyā (Akṣaya-tṛtīyā-associated śrāddha-kāla) and Kārttika-śukla Navamī śrāddha observance","tithi_month":"Vaiśākha (tṛtīyā); Kārttika bright fortnight (navamī)","promised_fruit":"Enhanced, ‘pūṇya-rahasya’ merit and strong pitṛ-prasāda; supports lineage continuity and auspiciousness."}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Pitṛs ‘declare a secret’ underscores revelation-through-tradition: dharma is a transmitted subtle knowledge where time-windows act as hidden conduits between worlds.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Seasonal yajña resonance: Vaiśākha and Kārttika are classic Viṣṇu-centered months; śrāddha performed then links pitṛ-yajña with Viṣṇu-yajña, as if offerings ride on Viṣṇu’s calendrical currents.","vedantic_connection":"Bridges pitṛ-loka duty with bhakti-inflected cosmology: honoring ancestors within Viṣṇu-favored months integrates pravṛtti-dharma with a higher theistic orientation."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"tradition as revelation (rahasya)","core_concept":"Some dharmic efficacies are ‘rahasya’—known through lineage transmission and śāstra, not mere inference.","practical_application":"Treat Vaiśākha tṛtīyā and Kārttika śukla navamī as priority days for śrāddha/tarpaṇa plus dana; combine with Viṣṇu-smaraṇa for integrated duty and devotion."}
Subject Matter: ["Ritual Calendar","Ethics","Ancestral Rites"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: ritual-time (Vaiśākha/Kārttika tithis)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 13.13.38-41 (amāvāsyā–nakṣatra śrāddha-kāla)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha narrates a ‘rahasya’ as if quoting the Pitṛs; two seasonal panels show Vaiśākha tṛtīyā and Kārttika śukla navamī with devotees performing śrāddha under auspicious light.","item_prompts":["Varāha speaking with a subtle pitṛ-vision behind him","two-panel calendar motif labeled Vaiśākha tṛtīyā / Kārttika navamī","offerings: piṇḍa, til, water","lamp and tulasī/Viṣṇu symbol to suggest Vaiṣṇava months","brāhmaṇa recipient","manuscript marked ‘rahasya’"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: narrative split-panel seasons, Varāha central, pitṛs as translucent elders, strong iconographic ritual objects, warm earthy palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf calendar medallions for the two tithis, richly ornamented Varāha, embossed ritual vessels, luminous festive aura.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant courtly devotional scene, fine detailing of manuscripts and lamps, gentle seasonal cues, balanced composition.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical two-season vignettes with delicate architecture, soft skies, intimate ritual moments, Varāha as storyteller-guru."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"confidential yet auspicious","suggested_raga":"Śrī or Vasant (for Vaiśākha seasonal feel)","pace":"slow, slightly hushed on ‘rahasyam’","voice_tone":"reverent, intimate, instructive"}
FAQs
It preserves a Purāṇic rule-of-thumb for calendrical selection (tithi-based timing) of śrāddha, reflecting how Purāṇas often transmit ritual norms alongside narrative material.
No specific geographic site is named in this verse; the reference is calendrical (Vaiśākha and Kārttika months; tṛtīyā and navamī tithis).
The verse frames ancestral rites as a puṇya-generating duty and emphasizes performing them at culturally authorized times, presenting ritual attentiveness as an ethical discipline.
Ask anything about this verse
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