Matsya Purana 204: adhyāyaḥ 204

204.1

manumatsyasaṃvāde pitṛgāthāvarṇanam.
matsya uvāca.
etadvaṃśabhavā viprāḥ śrāddhe bhojyāḥ prayatnataḥ.
pitṝṇāṃ vallabhaṃ yasmādeṣu śrāddhaṃ nareśvara! .. 204.1 ..

Matsya said:—"O King! the Brāhmaṇas belonging to the families of Dharma are worthy of being feasted on the occasion of Śrāddha as the gifts and food given to them with free will please the manes. O King! I shall now tell you what the manes desire in their realms and thus sing songs there. They wish that some one of their family should offer them libations of water and balls of rice in some cool running stream; they thus say:—'Oh! will any one be born in our families who will offer us simple handfuls of water in memory of us, especially offer us libations of water in some sacred rivers? Would any son be born in our families who offer us daily libations of milk, roots and fruits along with other victuals and til (sesamum) and water?—1-4.

204.2

ataḥ paraṃ pravakṣyāmi pitṛbhiryāḥ prakīrtitāḥ.
gāthāḥ pārthivaśārdūla! kāmayadbhiḥ pure svake .. 204.2 ..

204.3

api syātsa kule'smākaṃ yo no dadyājjalāñjalim.
nadīṣu bahuto yāsu śītalāsu viśeṣataḥ .. 204.3 ..

204.4

api syātsa kule'smākaṃ yaḥ śrāddhaṃ nityamācaret.
payomūlaphalairbhakṣye stilatoyena vā punaḥ .. 204.4 ..

204.5

api syātsakule'smākaṃ yono dadyāttrayodaśīm.
pāyasaṃ madhusarpibhyāṃ varṣāsu ca maghāsu ca .. 204.5 ..

'Oh! will there be born such a son amongst our families who would offer us libations of Pāyasa (cooked preparation of rice and milk and sugar) with clarified butter and honey on the thirteenth day of the lunar month in the rainy season under Maghā asterism?—5.

204.6

api syātsa kule'smākaṃ khaḍgamāṃsena yaḥ sakṛt.
śrāddhaṃ kuryātprayatnena kālaśākena vā punaḥ .. 204.6 ..

'Who would also offer us the flesh of the rhinoceros or black herb according to the prescribed rites even for one day?—6.

204.7

kālaśākaṃ mahāśākaṃ madhu munyannameva ca.
viṣāṇavarjā ye khaḍgā āsūryaṃ tadaśīmahi .. 204.7 ..

The pitṛis say that the offerings of kāla śāka, mahā śāka, honey, &c., and the appeasing grains used by the sages, the flesh of the rhinoceros that had not developed its horns keep them satisfied as long as sun exists.—7.

204.8

gayāyāṃ darśane rāhoḥ khaḍgamāṃsena yoginām.
bhojayetkaḥ kule'smākaṃ cchāyāyāṃ kuñjarasya ca .. 204.8 ..

'One who appeases us by making offerings of the rhinoceros flesh and feasting the yogis at Gayā during the solar and lunar eclipse or who will perform Śrāddha and offer gifts during the Gajachchhāyā yoga so that we would be satisfied till the end of a kalpa and the one who performs Śrāddha and make gifts will no doubt enjoy all pleasures in all the Lokas till the end of a kalpa and can go anywhere free at his will.—8-9.'

204.9

ākalpakālikī tṛptistenāsmākaṃ bhaviṣyati.
dātā sarveṣu lokeṣu kāmacāro bhaviṣyati .. 204.9 ..

204.10

ābhūtasaṃplavaṃ kālaṃ nātra kāryā vicāraṇā.
yadetatpañcakaṃ tasmādekenāpi ca yaḥ sadā .. 204.10 ..

Such a man undoubtedly gets the right of enjoying in every realm according to his pleasure till the end of the kalpa, and one who performs any of the above mentioned five Śrāddhas to the manes gives them satisfaction, for an infinite period. And if Śrāddhas be performed with full ceremony they obtain unbounded pleasures. The pitṛis also say that if some one of their family gives away a skin of black deer in their name or a cow big with a young one to a Brāhmaṇa versed in the Vedas, or performs Vṛiṣotsarga, i.e., sets free a bull in their name particularly a bull of white or bluish tint, or gives away gold or a cow with devotion or a piece of land or a well, a tank, or a grove or attaches himself to Viṣṇu, or gives away Dharmaśāstras to the learned Brāhmaṇas causes them unbounded satisfaction.—10-17.

204.11

tṛptiṃ prāpsyāma cānantāṃ kiṃ punaḥ sarvasampadā.
api syātsa kule'smākaṃ dadyāt kṛṣṇājinañca yaḥ .. 204.11 ..

204.12

api syātsa kule'smākaṃ kaścit puruṣasattamaḥ.
prasūyamānāṃ yo dhenuṃ dadyāt brāhmaṇapuṅgave .. 204.12 ..

204.13

api syātsa kule'smākaṃ vṛṣabhaṃ yaḥ samutsṛjet.
sarvavarṇaviśeṣeṇa śuklanīlaṃ vṛṣantathā .. 204.13 ..

204.14

api syātsa kule'smākaṃ yaḥ kuryāt śraddhayānvitaḥ.
suvarṇadānaṃ godānaṃ pṛthivīdānameva ca .. 204.14 ..

204.15

api syātsa kule'smākaṃ kaścit puruṣasattamaḥ.
kūpārāmataḍāgānāṃ vāpīnāṃ yaśca kārakaḥ .. 204.15 ..

204.16

api syātsa kule'smākaṃ sarvabhāvena yo harim.
prayāyāccharaṇaṃ viṣṇuṃ deveśaṃ madhusūdanam .. 204.16 ..

204.17

apinaḥ sakule bhūyāt kaścidvidvān vicakṣaṇaḥ.
dharmaśāstrāṇi yo dadyād vidhinā viduṣāmapi .. 204.17 ..

204.18

etāvaduktaṃ tava bhūmipāla! śrāddhasya kalpaṃ munisampradiṣṭam.
pāpāpahaṃ puṇyavivarddhanañca lokeṣu mukhyatvakarantathaiva .. 204.18 ..

King! I have narrated to you what the sages have said in the Śrāddha kalpa. The rituals pertaining to Śrāddha drive away sins and bring virtue and comfort."—18.