Shloka 46
ब्राह्मणीस्वर्गतिवर्णनम्
Brāhmaṇī-Svargati-Varṇana: Account of a Brāhmaṇa Woman’s Ascent to Heaven
जलं जलं वदन्तस्ते पित्राद्या यत्र संस्थिताः । यत्नश्च क्रियते यावत्तावद्बालो मृतस्तदा
jalaṃ jalaṃ vadantaste pitrādyā yatra saṃsthitāḥ | yatnaśca kriyate yāvattāvadbālo mṛtastadā
Dort, wo die Pitṛs und andere Ahnenwesen verweilten, riefen sie unablässig: „Wasser! Wasser!“ Und während man noch bemüht war, starb der Knabe in eben diesem Zwischenmoment.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: Mention of Pitṛs ‘stationed’ suggests a liminal ritual-space (pitṛ-sthāna/tīrtha) where dharma and unseen beings intersect; such settings in Purāṇas often become sanctified through a later Śiva-event.
Significance: Highlights the urgency of dharmic response (jala-dāna/śānti) and the limits of human effort without daiva; motivates later recourse to Śiva as ultimate refuge.
Mantra: jalaṃ jalam
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It highlights life’s fragility and the urgent call of the Pitṛs for “jala” (ritual water), pointing to dharma done in time; in Shaiva understanding, such awareness turns the mind toward Shiva as the stable refuge (Pati) beyond death.
The Kotirudra context ties human suffering and death to pilgrimage and Shiva-bhakti; turning to a Jyotirlinga (Saguna Shiva) is presented as a concrete support for grace, purification, and upliftment of both the living and the departed.
Offer water with devotion (tarpaṇa/udaka-kriyā) while remembering Shiva; accompany it with japa of the Panchakshara—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—as a steady practice during crisis and bereavement.