Verse 3.283 [Rewards of Offerings to Pitṛs]

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

यदेव तर्पयत्यद्भिः पितॄन् स्नात्वा द्विजोत्तमः ।
तेनैव कृत्स्नमाप्नोति पितृयज्ञक्रियाफलम् ॥ २८३ ॥

yadeva tarpayatyadbhiḥ pitṝn snātvā dvijottamaḥ |
tenaiva kṛtsnamāpnoti pitṛyajñakriyāphalam || 283 ||

When the best of Brāhmaṇas, having bathed, satisfies the Pitṛs with water,—by that alone he obtains the whole reward of the performance of the offering to the Pitṛs.—(283)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The present verse sets forth an option to the daily Śrāddha that has been prescribed in connection with the ‘Five Sacrifices.’

The ‘offering of water’ that is made after bath,—by that he obtains the reward of the offering to the Pitṛs. That is, it is not absolutely necessary to do what has been said (in 3.83) regarding the feeding of at least one Brāhmaṇa and the rest of it. It is only the Water-offering that must be made.—(283).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Āhnika, p. 391) in support of the view that in case one is unable to perform all the three rites of Tarpaṇa, Śrāddha and Bali, if he performs even one of them, he is saved from the sin of neglecting the ‘offerings to the Pitṛs’;—and in Hemādri (Śrāddha, p. 946).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Baudhāyana (2.6.3).—‘Day after day, one shall moke offerings out of the water-vessel; even so is the Pitṛyajña accomplished.’

Āpastamba-Dharmasūtra (1.13.1).—‘By the wateroffering is accomplished the offering to gods, the offering to Pitṛs and also Vedic Study.’