Critical Edition
वैशंपायन उवाच कस्यचित्त्वथ कालस्य नारदः परमेष्ठिजः दैवं कृत्वा यथान्यायं पित्र्यं चक्रे ततः परम्
M. N. Dutt: Vaishampayana said On one occasion, while living in the hermitage of Nara and Narayana, Narada the son of Prameshthi, having duly performed the rites and observances in honour of the gods, began to perforin thereafter the rites in honour of the departed manes.
ततस्तं वचनं प्राह ज्येष्ठो धर्मात्मजः प्रभुः क इज्यते द्विजश्रेष्ठ दैवे पित्र्ये च कल्पिते
AI Translation: Then the eldest son of Dharma, the lord, spoke these words: "Who is worshipped, O best of Brahmins, in the rites of the gods and the ancestors?"
त्वया मतिमतां श्रेष्ठ तन्मे शंस यथागमम् किमेतत्क्रियते कर्म फलं चास्य किमिष्यते
AI Translation: Best of the wise, please tell me this according to your knowledge. What is this action being performed? And what is its result desired?
नारद उवाच त्वयैतत्कथितं पूर्वं दैवं कर्तव्यमित्यपि दैवतं च परो यज्ञः परमात्मा सनातनः
M. N. Dutt: Narada said You said to me formerly that rites and observances in honour of the gods should be performed. You said that the rites in honour of the gods from the highest sacrifice and are equivalent to the worship of the Eternal and Supreme Soul.
ततस्तद्भावितो नित्यं यजे वैकुण्ठमव्ययम् तस्माच्च प्रसृतः पूर्वं ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः
M. N. Dutt: Thus instructed, I always sacrifice in honour of the eternal and iminutable Vishnu through these rites that I perform in adoring the gods. It is from that Supreme Deity that Brahman, the Grandfather of all the worlds, sprang in days of yore.
मम वै पितरं प्रीतः परमेष्ठ्यप्यजीजनत् अहं संकल्पजस्तस्य पुत्रः प्रथमकल्पितः
M. N. Dutt: That Brahman, otherwise called Prameshthi, filled with cheerfulness, caused my father (Daksha) to come into being. I was the son of Brahman, created before all others, by his will.
यजाम्यहं पितॄन्साधो नारायणविधौ कृते एवं स एव भगवान्पिता माता पितामहः इज्यते पितृयज्ञेषु मया नित्यं जगत्पतिः
M. N. Dutt: Orighteous and illustrious one, I am performing these rites in honour of the departed manes for the sake of Narayana and according to those ordinances that have been ordained by himself. The illustrious Narayana is the father, mother, and grandfather.
श्रुतिश्चाप्यपरा देव पुत्रान्हि पितरोऽयजन् वेदश्रुतिः प्रणष्टा च पुनरध्यापिता सुतैः ततस्ते मन्त्रदाः पुत्राः पितृत्वमुपपेदिरे
M. N. Dutt: Having lost their knowledge of the Shrutis, and father had to acquire it again from those sons to whom they had come municated it. On account of this incident, the sons, who had thus to communicate the Mantras to their father, acquired the status of fathers.
नूनं पुरैतद्विदितं युवयोर्भावितात्मनोः पुत्राश्च पितरश्चैव परस्परमपूजयन्
M. N. Dutt: Forsooth, what the gods did on that occasion is well known to you two. Sons and fathers had thus to adore each other.
त्रीन्पिण्डान्न्यस्य वै पृथ्व्यां पूर्वं दत्त्वा कुशानिति कथं तु पिण्डसंज्ञां ते पितरो लेभिरे पुरा
M. N. Dutt: Having first spread some blades of Kusha grass, the gods and the departed manes placed three funeral cakes thereon and thus adored each other. I wish to know, however, the reason why the departed manes in days of yore acquired the name of Pindas.
नरनारायणावूचतुः इमां हि धरणीं पूर्वं नष्टां सागरमेखलाम् गोविन्द उज्जहाराशु वाराहं रूपमाश्रितः
M. N. Dutt: Nara and Narayana said The Earth, in days of yore, with her belt of seas, disappeared from the view. Govinda, taking the form of a gigantic boar, raised her up.
स्थापयित्वा तु धरणीं स्वे स्थाने पुरुषोत्तमः जलकर्दमलिप्ताङ्गो लोककार्यार्थमुद्यतः
M. N. Dutt: Having replaced the Earth in her former position, that foremost of Purushas, his body smeared with water and mud, began to do what was necessary for the world and its inhabitants.
प्राप्ते चाह्निककाले स मध्यंदिनगते रवौ दंष्ट्राविलग्नान्मृत्पिण्डान्विधूय सहसा प्रभुः स्थापयामास वै पृथ्व्यां कुशानास्तीर्य नारद
M. N. Dutt: When the Sun reached the meridian, and the hour, therefore, came for saying the morning prayers, the powerful Lord, suddenly shaking off thrce balls of mud from his tusk, placed them upon the Earth, O Narada, having previously spread powerful Vishnu dedicated those balls of mud to his own self, according to the rites laid down in the eternal ordinance.
स तेष्वात्मानमुद्दिश्य पित्र्यं चक्रे यथाविधि संकल्पयित्वा त्रीन्पिण्डान्स्वेनैव विधिना प्रभुः
AI Translation: He, having determined himself, performed the ancestral rite for them according to the prescribed procedure. Having determined three balls of rice, the Lord, by his own procedure,
आत्मगात्रोष्मसंभूतैः स्नेहगर्भैस्तिलैरपि प्रोक्ष्यापवर्गं देवेशः प्राङ्मुखः कृतवान्स्वयम्
AI Translation: With sesame seeds containing oil, produced from the heat of his own body, The Lord of the gods himself sprinkled the water of liberation, facing east.
मर्यादास्थापनार्थं च ततो वचनमुक्तवान् अहं हि पितरः स्रष्टुमुद्यतो लोककृत्स्वयम्
AI Translation: And for the purpose of establishing boundaries, he spoke these words: "I, the creator of the world, am about to create the fathers."
तस्य चिन्तयतः सद्यः पितृकार्यविधिं परम् दंष्ट्राभ्यां प्रविनिर्धूता ममैते दक्षिणां दिशम् आश्रिता धरणीं पिण्डास्तस्मात्पितर एव ते
M. N. Dutt: While thus doing, he beheld that the three balls of mud, shaken off his tusk, had fallen towards the South. He then said to himself,—These balls, shaken off my tusk, have fallen on the Earth towards the south of her surface! Led by this, I declare that these should be known henceforth by the name of departed manes.
त्रयो मूर्तिविहीना वै पिण्डमूर्तिधरास्त्विमे भवन्तु पितरो लोके मया सृष्टाः सनातनाः
M. N. Dutt: Let these three that are of no particular shape, and that are only round, come to be considered as Pitris in the world! Thus do I create the eternal Pitris.
पिता पितामहश्चैव तथैव प्रपितामहः अहमेवात्र विज्ञेयस्त्रिषु पिण्डेषु संस्थितः
M. N. Dutt: I am the father, the grandfather and the great grandfather, and I should be considered as living in these three Pindas.
नास्ति मत्तोऽधिकः कश्चित्को वाभ्यर्च्यो मया स्वयम् को वा मम पिता लोके अहमेव पितामहः
M. N. Dutt: There is no one that is superior to me. Who is there whom I myself may adore with rites? Who, again, is iny father in the universe? I myself am my grandfather.
पितामहपिता चैव अहमेवात्र कारणम् इत्येवमुक्त्वा वचनं देवदेवो वृषाकपिः
AI Translation: And I am the cause of this. Having spoken these words, the bull-like god, the lord of the gods,
वराहपर्वते विप्र दत्त्वा पिण्डान्सविस्तरान् आत्मानं पूजयित्वैव तत्रैवादर्शनं गतः
AI Translation: Having given the balls of rice in detail on Varaha mountain, O Brahmin, Having worshipped himself, he disappeared there itself.
एतदर्थं शुभमते पितरः पिण्डसंज्ञिताः लभन्ते सततं पूजां वृषाकपिवचो यथा
M. N. Dutt: Hence the Pitris are called Pinda. This is the root of the designation. According to the words given vent to by Vrishakapi at that time, the Pitris receive the worship offered by all.
ये यजन्ति पितॄन्देवान्गुरूंश्चैवातिथींस्तथा गाश्चैव द्विजमुख्यांश्च पृथिवीं मातरं तथा कर्मणा मनसा वाचा विष्णुमेव यजन्ति ते
M. N. Dutt: They who celebrate sacrifices in honour of and adore the departed manes, the gods, the preceptor or other reverend senior, guests arrived at the house, kine, superior Brahmanas, the goddess Earth, and their mothers, in thought, word, and deed, and said to adore and sacrifice to Vishnu himself. Entering the bodies of all existent creatures, the illustrious Lord is the Soul of all things.
अन्तर्गतः स भगवान्सर्वसत्त्वशरीरगः समः सर्वेषु भूतेषु ईश्वरः सुखदुःखयोः महान्महात्मा सर्वात्मा नारायण इति श्रुतः
M. N. Dutt: Unaffected by happiness or misery, His attitude towards all is equal. Gifted with greatness, and of great soul, Narayana has been said to be the soul of all things in the universe.