Shloka 26
Uddhava Recalls Kṛṣṇa’s Mission: Earth’s Burden, Royal Dharma, and the Prelude to Dvārakā’s Withdrawal
तत्र स्नात्वा पितृन्देवानृषींश्चैव तदम्भसा । तर्पयित्वाथ विप्रेभ्यो गावो बहुगुणा ददु: ॥ २६ ॥
tatra snātvā pitṝn devān ṛṣīṁś caiva tad-ambhasā tarpayitvātha viprebhyo gāvo bahu-guṇā daduḥ
Arriving there, they bathed and, with the sacred water of that tīrtha, offered tarpaṇa to the forefathers, the devas, and the great ṛṣis, satisfying them. Then, in royal charity, they gave the brāhmaṇas many excellent cows.
Amongst the devotees of the Lord there are several divisions, mainly nitya-siddhas and sādhana-siddhas. The nitya-siddha devotees never fall down to the region of the material atmosphere, even though they sometimes come onto the material plane to execute the mission of the Lord. The sādhana-siddha devotees are chosen from the conditioned souls. Out of the sādhana devotees, there are mixed and pure devotees. The mixed devotees are sometimes enthusiastic about fruitive activities and are habituated to philosophical speculation. The pure devotees are free from all these mixtures and are completely absorbed in the service of the Lord, regardless of how and where they are situated. Pure devotees of the Lord are not enthusiastic to put aside their service to the Lord in order to go visit holy places of pilgrimage. A great devotee of the Lord in modern times, Śrī Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, has sung like this: “To visit holy places of pilgrimage is another bewilderment of the mind because devotional service to the Lord at any place is the last word in spiritual perfection.”
FAQs
This verse describes bathing at a sacred place and then satisfying the pitṛs, devas, and ṛṣis with offerings using that water—showing pilgrimage as worship expressed through gratitude and ritual duty.
Here, charity is shown as a natural completion of sacred acts: after worship and offerings, they honor brāhmaṇas by gifting high-quality cows, emphasizing dharma, gratitude, and support of spiritual culture.
Practice gratitude and responsibility—honor elders/ancestors, respect sacred traditions, and give meaningful charity (supporting genuine spiritual education and service) as a continuation of your devotional life.