Verse 3.146

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

एषामन्यतमो यस्य भुञ्जीत श्राद्धमर्चितः ।
पितॄणां तस्य तृप्तिः स्यात्शाश्वती साप्तपौरुषी ॥ १४६ ॥

eṣāmanyatamo yasya bhuñjīta śrāddhamarcitaḥ |
pitṝṇāṃ tasya tṛptiḥ syātśāśvatī sāptapauruṣī || 146 ||

If any one of these should dine, duly honoured, at the Śrāddha performed by a certain person, there would be ever-lasting satisfaction for his ancestors, lasting till the seventh degree (of descendants).—(146)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Some people might argue as follows:—“It has been asserted that ‘at the rite performed in honour of ancestors one should feed three Brāhmaṇas;’ and in the preceding verse the learners of several recensional texts have been mentioned; so that there is no possibility of one’s own companions in study being fed.”

And it is with a view to set aside this notion that the author puts forward the present verse.

Of these three—the adherents of the three Vedas—anyone may be fed.

That is to say, one may feed either persons professing the same recensional text as oneself or those professing other several texts.

‘Duly honoured’—worshipped, approached, with offerings of water, etc.

‘Satisfaction to the seventh degree’—i.e., the satisfaction continues till the seventh degree of descendants. The prolonging of both vowels in the term ‘sāptapauruṣī’ is in accordance with Pāṇini 7.3.20. This epithet has been added for the purpose of indicating great length of time; the meaning being that ‘the satisfaction of the ancestors lasts for a long time.’ The meaning is that ‘by the feeding of the said Brāhmaṇa, the satisfaction secured to the ancestors is such as lasts till such time as his sons and grandsons to the seventh degree are born.’

‘Everlasting,’—i.e., it does not cease, and then appears again; it remains there always.—(146)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Nirṇayasindhu (p. 284);—in Hemādri (Śrāddha, p. 882);—and in Nṛsiṃhaprasāda (Śrāddha, p. 8a).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Bṛhaspati (Parāśaramādhava, p. 337).—‘If one feeds a single Sāmavedin at the Śrāddha, all the three Vedas, Ṛk, Sāman and Yajuṣ, are present in him. If, for the sake of his fathers, one secures one who has pondered over the texts of the Sāman, then he secures the entire earth along with hills and forests. The Ṛk satisfies the father, the Yajuṣ, the grandfather, and the Sāman, the great-grandfather;—and the Chandoga is superior even to that.’

Śātātapa (Parāśaramādhava, p. 337).—‘If one feeds an Atharvavedin at the offerings to Gods and Pitṛs, he attains endless and imperishable results;—says the Śruti.’