Shloka 54

Pātra-Nirṇaya and Ritual Procedure: Who to Feed, Who to Avoid, and Step-by-Step Śrāddha Performance

Devanagari script

विश्वेदेवाः सपितरस् तथा मातामहा नृप कुलं चाप्याय्यते पुंसां सर्वं श्राद्धं प्रकुर्वताम्

Transliteration

viśvedevāḥ sapitaras tathā mātāmahā nṛpa kulaṃ cāpyāyyate puṃsāṃ sarvaṃ śrāddhaṃ prakurvatām

Translation

大王，凡如法修行施行施罗陀（śrāddha）者，毗湿毗天众、祖灵（Pitṛ）以及外祖诸祖皆得滋养；行者之全族谱系亦因此得以坚固延续。

Word by Word

• विश्वेदेवाः: the Viśvedevas (all-gods)
• विश्वेदेवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वे देवाः (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (विश्वरूपा देवाः)

• सपितरः: together with the Pitṛs (manes)
• सपितरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स-पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—अव्ययीभाव (सहिताः पितरः)

• तथा: and likewise
• तथा: Sambandha/Discourse marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्ययप्रकारः—समुच्चय/अनुक्रमसूचक (also/likewise)

• मातामहाः: maternal grandfathers/ancestors
• मातामहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• कुलम्: the lineage/family
• कुलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्ययप्रकारः—समुच्चय (and)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Emphasis/Particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्ययप्रकारः—अपि/अवधारण (also/even)

• आय्यते: is nourished / prospers
• आय्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + इ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; धातु—इ (गत्यर्थ) उपसर्ग—आ; अर्थे—वृद्धि/पोषण (is nourished/increases)

• पुंसाम्: of men/people
• पुंसाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुंस्/पुम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• सर्वम्: entire/all
• सर्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कुलम्/श्राद्धम् इत्यस्य)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रकुर्वताम्: of those who perform (it)
• प्रकुर्वताम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कृ (धातु) → प्रकुर्वत् (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः (of those performing)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya; addressing the listener with 'O king' as a conventional vocative in dharma-instruction)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Śrāddha-vidhi and its phala (benefit) for Pitṛs and the performer’s lineage

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Śrāddha, performed with due observance, sustains the Pitṛs and strengthens the performer’s entire lineage, making ritual duty a vehicle of dharma.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Honor ancestors through disciplined remembrance, charity/feeding, and consistent family duties performed without negligence.

Vishishtadvaita: Dharma as service within the Lord’s ordered cosmos—family and Pitṛ-relations are real, sustained within Viṣṇu’s governance.

Vaishnava Theology

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Viśvedevās
• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Mātāmahās (maternal ancestors)
• Kula (lineage)

FAQs

What is the significance of śrāddha in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse states that śrāddha nourishes not only the Pitṛs but also the Viśvedevās and the maternal ancestors, and it strengthens the performer’s entire lineage—showing śrāddha as a pillar of dharma and continuity.

How does Sage Parāśara explain who benefits from śrāddha?

Parāśara frames śrāddha as a comprehensive offering: divine recipients (Viśvedevās) and ancestral recipients (Pitṛs and mātāmahās) are satisfied, and the merit extends to the whole family line of the one who performs it.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when discussing ritual duty, the Vishnu Purana presents dharma as part of the order upheld by Vishnu as the Supreme Reality—through rightful acts like śrāddha, harmony between gods, ancestors, and human society is maintained.