Pitru Suktam
Pitru Suktam
Pitru Suktam
pitṛ sūktam
(ṛ.1.10.15.1)
udī̭ratā॒mava̭ra॒ utparā̭sa॒ unma̭dhya॒māḥ pi॒taraḥ̭ so॒myāsaḥ̭ |
asuṃ॒-ya~ ī॒yura̭vṛ॒kā ṛ̭ta॒jñāste no̭-'vantu pi॒taro॒ havḙṣu || 01
i॒da-mpi॒tṛbhyo॒ namo̭ astva॒dya ye pūrvā̭so॒ ya upa̭rāsa ī॒yuḥ |
ye pārthi̭ve॒ raja॒syā niṣa̭ttā॒ ye vā̭ nū॒naṃ sṷvṛ॒janā̭su vi॒kṣu || 02
āha-mpi॒tṝnsṷvi॒datrāṃ̭ avitsi॒ napā̭ta-ñca vi॒krama̭ṇa-ñca॒ viṣṇoḥ̭ |
ba॒rhi॒ṣado॒ ye sva॒dhayā̭ su॒tasya॒ bhaja̭nta pi॒tvasta i॒hāga̭miṣṭhāḥ || 03
barhi̭ṣadaḥ pitara ū॒tya(1॒̭ )rvāgi॒mā vo̭ ha॒vyā ca̭kṛmā ju॒ṣadhva̭m |
ta ā ga॒tāva̭sā॒ śanta̭me॒nāthā̭ na॒-śśaṃ-yo~ra̭ra॒po da̭dhāta || 04
upa̭hūtāḥ pi॒taraḥ̭ so॒myāso̭ barhi॒ṣyḙṣu ni॒dhiṣṷ pri॒yeṣṷ |
ta ā ga̭mantu॒ ta i॒ha śrṷva॒ntvadhi̭ bruvantu॒ tḙ-'vantva॒smān || 05
ācyā॒ jānṷ dakṣiṇa॒to ni॒ṣadye॒maṃ-ya~॒jñama॒bhi gṛ̭ṇīta॒ viśvḙ |
mā hiṃ̭siṣṭa pitaraḥ॒ kena̭ cinno॒ yadva॒ āgaḥ̭ puru॒ṣatā॒ karā̭ma || 06
āsī̭nāso aru॒ṇīnā̭mu॒pasthḙ ra॒yi-ndha̭tta dā॒śuṣe॒ martyā̭ya |
pu॒trebhyaḥ̭ pitara॒stasya॒ vasvaḥ॒ pra ya̭cchata॒ ta i॒horja̭-ndadhāta || 07
ye naḥ॒ pūrvḙ pi॒taraḥ̭ so॒myāso̭-'nūhi॒re so̭mapī॒thaṃ-va~si̭ṣṭhāḥ |
tebhi̭rya॒ma-ssaṃ̭rarā॒ṇo ha॒vīṃṣyu॒śannu॒śadbhiḥ̭ pratikā॒mama̭ttu || 08
ye tā̭tṛ॒ṣurdḙva॒trā jeha̭mānā hotrā॒vida॒-sstoma̭taṣṭāso a॒rkaiḥ |
āgnḙ yāhi suvi॒datrḙbhira॒rvāṅ sa॒tyaiḥ ka॒vyaiḥ pi॒tṛbhi̭rgharma॒sadbhiḥ̭ || 09
ye sa॒tyāso̭ havi॒rado̭ havi॒ṣpā indrḙṇa de॒vai-ssa॒ratha॒-ndadhā̭nāḥ |
āgnḙ yāhi sa॒hasra̭-ndevava॒ndaiḥ paraiḥ॒ pūrvaiḥ̭ pi॒tṛbhi̭rgharma॒sadbhiḥ̭ || 10
agni̭ṣvāttāḥ pitara॒ eha ga̭cchata॒ sadaḥ̭sada-ssadata supraṇītayaḥ |
a॒ttā ha॒vīṃṣi॒ praya̭tāni ba॒rhiṣyathā̭ ra॒yiṃ sarva̭vīra-ndadhātana || 11
tvama̭gna īli॒to jā̭tave॒do-'vā̭ḍḍha॒vyāni̭ sura॒bhīṇi̭ kṛ॒tvī |
prādāḥ̭ pi॒tṛbhyaḥ̭ sva॒dhayā॒ te a̭kṣanna॒ddhi tva-ndḙva॒ praya̭tā ha॒vīṃṣi̭ || 12
ye ce॒ha pi॒taro॒ ye ca॒ neha yāṃśca̭ vi॒dma yā~ ṷ ca॒ na pra̭vi॒dma |
tvaṃ-ve~̭ttha॒ yati॒ te jā̭taveda-ssva॒dhābhi̭rya॒jñaṃ sukṛ̭ta-ñjuṣasva || 13
ye a̭gnida॒gdhā ye ana̭gnidagdhā॒ madhyḙ di॒va-ssva॒dhayā̭ mā॒daya̭nte |
tebhiḥ̭ sva॒rālasṷnītime॒tāṃ-ya~̭thāva॒śa-nta॒nva̭-ṅkalpayasva || 14
oṃ śānti॒-śśānti॒-śśāntiḥ̭ |
About This Stotram
Overview
Pitru Suktam is a Vedic hymn from the tenth Mandala of the Rigveda (10.15) addressed to the Pitrus, the souls of departed ancestors who are venerated as divine beings in Hindu tradition. The verses invoke the Pitrus as wise, elevated beings and petition them to bestow blessings on their living descendants. It belongs to the Shruti category and is among the oldest surviving texts for ancestral veneration.
What are the benefits of chanting Pitru Suktam?
- Propitiates ancestral spirits and invites their blessings
- Addresses pitru dosha through the authority of Vedic recitation
- Promotes family prosperity and the well-being of the lineage
- Connects the living to their ancestral heritage through the Vedic tradition
When is the best time to recite this?
The Pitru Suktam is recited on Amavasya (new moon days), during Pitru Paksha, on Mahalaya Amavasya, and during shraaddha ceremonies. It is also appropriate on any day when ancestral rites are performed.
What is the historical and traditional background?
Rigveda Mandala 10 contains some of the most cosmologically and ritually diverse hymns of the Rigveda, including hymns to the Pitrus, to Yama (the god of death), and on creation. The Pitru Suktam (10.15) is part of this layer of the Rigveda, dated to approximately 1500–1200 BCE, and represents the earliest documented form of ancestral worship in the Hindu tradition. It predates the detailed Puranic shraaddha rituals by over a millennium and forms their Vedic foundation. The rishi credited for 10.15 is identified as Shankha Yaamayana in traditional Vedic indexes (anukramanikas).
Available scripts
This text is available in 14 scripts: devanagari, tamil, telugu, kannada, malayalam, gujarati, bengali, iast, gurmukhi, oriya, assamese, sinhala, itrans, hk. Use the script selector above to switch between them.
Related Texts
- Pitru Tarpanam — the ritual water libation procedure performed for ancestors, which draws on this suktam as its Vedic textual basis
- Pavamana Suktam — another Rigvedic suktam used in purification contexts, belonging to the same Vedic recitation tradition