Offerings to the Ancestors and How Long They Satisfy

Verse 1 (13.135.1)

किंस्विद्दत्तं पितृभ्यो वै भवत्यक्षयमीश्वर । किंस्विद्बहुफलं प्रोक्तं किमानन्त्याय कल्पते ॥

kiṃsviddattaṃ pitṛbhyo vai bhavatyakṣayamīśvara | kiṃsvidbahuphalaṃ proktaṃ kimānantyāya kalpate

Lord, what given to the ancestors becomes imperishable? What offering yields much fruit? What leads to endless satisfaction?

Note on the text: Corrected भवत्यक्षयमीश्वरः → भवत्यक्षयमीश्वर (misprint in Wikisource; vocative required; CE reads 'īśvara'). Corrected किंस्विद्वहुफलं → किंस्विद्बहुफलं (misprint in Wikisource; व for ब). First line = CE 13.88.1a; the second line is a recension variant (CE: kiṃ haviś cirarātrāya kim ānantyāya kalpate).

Verse 2 (13.135.2)

हवींषि श्राद्धकल्पे तु यानि श्राद्धविदो विदुः । तानि मे शृणु काम्यानि फलं चैषां युधिष्ठिर ॥

havīṃṣi śrāddhakalpe tu yāni śrāddhavido viduḥ | tāni me śṛṇu kāmyāni phalaṃ caiṣāṃ yudhiṣṭhira

Yudhishthira, listen to the offerings that those who know the rules of shraddha recognise in the shraddha ritual, the ones that are desired, and to their fruit.

Verse 3 (13.135.3)

तिलैर्व्रीहियवैर्माषैरद्भिर्मूलफलैस्तथा । दत्तेन मासं प्रीयन्ते श्राद्धेन पितरो नृप ॥

tilairvrīhiyavairmāṣairadbhirmūlaphalaistathā | dattena māsaṃ prīyante śrāddhena pitaro nṛpa

O king, the ancestors are satisfied for a month by a shraddha in which sesame, rice, barley, beans, water, roots and fruits are given.

Verse 4 (13.135.4)

वर्धमानतिलं श्राद्धमक्षयं मनुरब्रवीत् । सर्वेष्वेव तु भोज्येषु तिलाः प्राधान्यतः स्मृताः ॥

vardhamānatilaṃ śrāddhamakṣayaṃ manurabravīt | sarveṣveva tu bhojyeṣu tilāḥ prādhānyataḥ smṛtāḥ

Manu declared that a shraddha with plenty of sesame is imperishable; among all foods, sesame is held to be the chief.

Verse 5 (13.135.5)

द्वौ मासौ तु भवेत्तृप्तिर्मत्स्यैः पितृगणस्य ह । त्रीन्मासानाविकेनाहुश्चतुर्मासं शशेन ह ॥

dvau māsau tu bhavettṛptirmatsyaiḥ pitṛgaṇasya ha | trīnmāsānāvikenāhuścaturmāsaṃ śaśena ha

The company of ancestors is satisfied for two months with fish; they say for three months with mutton, and for four months with hare.

Note on the text: Corrected भवेत्तुप्तिर्मत्स्यैः तितृगणस्य → भवेत्तृप्तिर्मत्स्यैः पितृगणस्य (misprint in Wikisource; CE reads 'tṛptir matsyaiḥ pitṛgaṇasya'; dropped/garbled aksharas).

Verse 6 (13.135.6)

आजेन मासान्प्रीयन्ते पञ्चैव पितरो नृप । वाराहेण तु षण्मासान्सप्त वै शाकुनेन तु ॥

ājena māsānprīyante pañcaiva pitaro nṛpa | vārāheṇa tu ṣaṇmāsānsapta vai śākunena tu

O king, the ancestors are pleased for five months with goat's meat, for six months with boar's, and for seven months with that of birds.

Note on the text: Corrected शाकुलेन → शाकुनेन (misprint in Wikisource; CE reads 'śākunena').

Verse 7 (13.135.7)

मासानष्टौ पार्षतेन रौरवेण नव प्रभो । गवयस्य तु मांसेन तृप्तिः स्याद्दशमासिकी ॥

māsānaṣṭau pārṣatena rauraveṇa nava prabho | gavayasya tu māṃsena tṛptiḥ syāddaśamāsikī

With the flesh of the spotted deer, eight months; with that of the black antelope, nine, O lord; with the flesh of the gayal, satisfaction lasts ten months.

Verse 8 (13.135.8)

मांसेनेकादश प्रीतिः पितॄणां माहिषेण तु । गव्येन दत्ते श्राद्धे तु संवत्सरमिहोच्यते ॥

māṃsenekādaśa prītiḥ pitṝṇāṃ māhiṣeṇa tu | gavyena datte śrāddhe tu saṃvatsaramihocyate

With buffalo meat the ancestors are pleased for eleven months; with beef offered in shraddha, it is said, for a year.

Verse 9 (13.135.9)

यथा गव्यं तथा युक्तं पायसं सर्पिषा सह । वाध्रीणसस्य मांसेन तृप्तिर्द्वादशवार्षिकी ॥

yathā gavyaṃ tathā yuktaṃ pāyasaṃ sarpiṣā saha | vādhrīṇasasya māṃsena tṛptirdvādaśavārṣikī

Rice cooked in milk with ghee is as good as beef; and with the flesh of the vadhrinasa the satisfaction lasts twelve years.

Verse 10 (13.135.10)

आनन्त्याय भवेद्दत्तं खड्गमांसं पितृक्षते । कालशाकं च लौहं चाप्यानन्त्यं छाग उच्यते ॥

ānantyāya bhaveddattaṃ khaḍgamāṃsaṃ pitṛkṣate | kālaśākaṃ ca lauhaṃ cāpyānantyaṃ chāga ucyate

Rhinoceros flesh given on the day of the ancestors' death leads to endless satisfaction; black potherb, the lauha plant, and goat's flesh are said to give endless satisfaction.

Note on the text: Corrected आन्त्याय भवेद्दतं खङ्गमांसं → आनन्त्याय भवेद्दत्तं खड्गमांसं (misprint in Wikisource; dropped aksharas and खङ्ग for खड्ग; CE reads 'ānantyāya bhaved dattaṃ khaḍgamāṃsaṃ').

Verse 11 (13.135.11)

गाथाश्चाप्यत्र गायन्ति पितृगीता युधिष्ठिर । सनत्कुमारो भगवान्पुरा मय्यभ्यभाषत ॥

gāthāścāpyatra gāyanti pitṛgītā yudhiṣṭhira | sanatkumāro bhagavānpurā mayyabhyabhāṣata

Here too the ancestors sing verses, the ancestors' songs, Yudhishthira. The blessed Sanatkumara long ago declared them to me:

Note on the text: Corrected मध्यभ्यभाषत → मय्यभ्यभाषत (misprint in Wikisource; CE reads 'mayy abhyabhāṣata').

Verse 12 (13.135.12)

अपि नः स्वकुले जायाद्यो नो दद्यात्त्रयोदशीम् । मघासु सर्पिःसंयुक्तं पायसं दक्षिणायने ॥

api naḥ svakule jāyādyo no dadyāttrayodaśīm | maghāsu sarpiḥsaṃyuktaṃ pāyasaṃ dakṣiṇāyane

'May a man be born in our family who will give us on the thirteenth day, under the Magha star, in the sun's southern course, rice cooked in milk mixed with ghee,

Verse 13 (13.135.13)

आजेन वाऽपि लौहेन मघास्वेव यतव्रतः । हस्तिच्छायासु विधिवत्कर्णव्यजनवीजितम् ॥

ājena vā'pi lauhena maghāsveva yatavrataḥ | hasticchāyāsu vidhivatkarṇavyajanavījitam

or with goat's flesh or lauha, under Magha itself, firm in his vows, at the time of the elephant's shade, as the rule requires, the food fanned with an ear-shaped fan.

Verse 14 (13.135.14)

एष्टव्या बहवः पुत्रा यद्येकोपि गयां व्रजेत् । यत्रासौ प्रथितो लोकेष्वक्षय्यकरणो वटः ॥

eṣṭavyā bahavaḥ putrā yadyekopi gayāṃ vrajet | yatrāsau prathito lokeṣvakṣayyakaraṇo vaṭaḥ

Many sons are to be wished for, so that even one of them may go to Gaya, where stands the renowned banyan tree that makes offerings imperishable.'

Note on the text: Corrected लोकेष्वक्ष्यकरणो → लोकेष्वक्षय्यकरणो (misprint in Wikisource; CE reads 'akṣayyakaraṇo').

Verse 15 (13.135.15)

आपो मूलं फलं मांसमन्नं वाऽपि पितृक्षये । यत्किञ्चिन्मधुसंमिश्रं तदानन्त्याय कल्पते ॥

āpo mūlaṃ phalaṃ māṃsamannaṃ vā'pi pitṛkṣaye | yatkiñcinmadhusaṃmiśraṃ tadānantyāya kalpate

Water, roots, fruit, meat, or food, given at the ancestors' rite: whatever is mixed with honey leads to endless satisfaction.