Shloka 137
तत्र देवाः सुरा यक्षा भुवनानि चतुर्दश । शालग्रामशिलायां तु यः श्राद्धं कुरुते नरः
tatra devāḥ surā yakṣā bhuvanāni caturdaśa | śālagrāmaśilāyāṃ tu yaḥ śrāddhaṃ kurute naraḥ
Dort sind die Götter, die Suras, die Yakṣas und die vierzehn Welten. Doch der Mensch, der das Śrāddha-Ritual in Verbindung mit dem Śālagrāma-Stein vollzieht…
Unspecified (context-dependent narration within Svarga-khaṇḍa)
Concept: Śālagrāma is a cosmically charged locus; performing śrāddha in relation to it connects the rite to the entire sacred order (devas, yakṣas, lokas).
Application: Honor ancestors with sincerity and purity; if available, perform tarpaṇa/śrāddha with Vishnu-centered remembrance, charity, and feeding others.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: river
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A Śālagrāma rests on a ritual platform as a śrāddha offering is arranged—piṇḍas, sesame, and water in a copper vessel. Above the stone, the fourteen worlds appear as stacked translucent spheres, with devas and yakṣas hovering like guardians, showing the rite’s cosmic reach.","primary_figures":["Śālagrāma-śilā","a householder performing śrāddha","pitṛs (ancestral spirits)","devas and yakṣas (symbolic)"],"setting":"Ritual courtyard or riverbank pavilion with kusa grass, copper vessels, sesame seeds, and offerings; subtle cosmic overlay in the sky.","lighting_mood":"forest dappled","color_palette":["copper bronze","sesame brown","smoke gray","sky blue","saffron"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: ceremonial śrāddha scene with ornate altar; Śālagrāma centered under a gold-embossed arch; devas and yakṣas in the upper register with gold halos; ritual items—piṇḍas, tila, copper pātra—rendered with jewel-like detail, rich maroons and greens, heavy gold leaf emphasizing cosmic containment.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate domestic rite with refined gestures; soft earth tones; the fourteen worlds depicted as faint layered circles in the sky; delicate smoke from incense; calm, respectful mood, fine textile patterns and minimal gold.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: structured registers—lower: śrāddha ritual with bold outlines; middle: enlarged Śālagrāma with spiral motifs; upper: stylized devas/yakṣas and caturdaśa-loka symbols; warm pigment palette, temple-wall symmetry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Śālagrāma placed in a central lotus; around it, circular bands representing fourteen worlds with decorative iconography; border of conch/chakra motifs; deep blue ground with gold and saffron accents, floral vines framing the śrāddha offerings."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low chanting","rustle of kusa grass","soft bell","distant river flow"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शालग्रामशिलायां = शालग्राम-शिलायाम्; no major external sandhi besides standard anusvāra/visarga orthography.
FAQs
It juxtaposes Purāṇic cosmology (the fourteen worlds and celestial beings) with the special ritual efficacy attributed to performing śrāddha in relation to a Śālagrāma stone.
They are the traditional fourteen realms: seven higher (e.g., Bhūr, Bhuvar, Svar, Mahas, Jana, Tapa, Satya) and seven lower (e.g., Atala through Pātāla), collectively expressing the full cosmic hierarchy.
In Vaiṣṇava tradition, Śālagrāma-śilā is revered as a sacred manifestation of Viṣṇu; rites performed with its association are presented as especially meritorious, including ancestral śrāddha.