Shloka 56
Description of the Rules for Charitable Gifts and Related Rites
Gaṅgā-māhātmya
नरकस्थान्पितॄन्सर्वान्प्रापयित्वा दिवं तथा । स्वर्गस्थितान्मोक्षयित्वा स्वयं ज्ञानी च मोहिनि ॥ ५६ ॥
narakasthānpitṝnsarvānprāpayitvā divaṃ tathā | svargasthitānmokṣayitvā svayaṃ jñānī ca mohini || 56 ||
Nachdem man alle Ahnen, die in den Höllen weilten, zum Himmel geführt hat und ebenso selbst die im Himmel Verweilenden zur endgültigen Befreiung (mokṣa) erlöst hat, wird man selbst zum Wissenden (jñānī), o Mohinī.
Narada (in dialogue context with Sanatkumara tradition; verse addresses 'mohinī' as a vocative within the narration)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It elevates the goal beyond merit and heaven: the highest fruit is moksha—so powerful that it can uplift ancestors from naraka to svarga and even carry svarga-bound souls toward liberation, while the practitioner matures into jñāna.
Though bhakti is not named here, the promised capacity to deliver pitṛs and transcend svarga reflects the typical Purāṇic bhakti-phala: devotion and sacred acts done with surrender yield not merely heavenly reward but liberation-oriented grace.
The verse aligns with Dharma-śāstra and ritual logic (karma-phala and pitṛ-kārya): correct performance of śrāddha/tīrtha-related rites and intention can be framed as a means for pitṛ-upliftment, culminating in the seeker’s inner jñāna.