Shloka 159

Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa

Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results

Devanagari script

१५८ ।। नच क्षरति तेभ्यश्व यशश्रैवाप्तुते महत्‌ । सुवर्णमक्षयं दत्त्वा लोकांश्षाप्रोति पुष्कलान्‌

Transliteration

na ca kṣarati tebhyaś ca yaśaś caivāpnute mahat | suvarṇam akṣayaṁ dattvā lokān prāpnoti puṣkalān ||

Translation

Vasiṣṭha said: One who gives imperishable gold does not fall away from those meritorious realms. In this world he gains great fame, and after death he attains many abundant, prosperous heavenly worlds.

Word by Word

• na: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca

• kṣarati: falls/declines (from), perishes
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṣar (क्षर्)
• Form: Lat, Present, 3, Singular, Parasmaipada

• tebhyaḥ: from those (worlds/realms)
• tebhyaḥ: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad
• Form: All (pronoun), Ablative, Plural

• eva: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva

• yaśaḥ: fame
• yaśaḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: yaśas
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• eva: indeed/only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva

• āptum: to obtain
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (आप्)
• Form: Tumun (infinitive)

• te: of him/for him
• te: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad
• Form: All (pronoun), Genitive, Singular

• mahat: great
• mahat: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• suvarṇam: gold
• suvarṇam: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: suvarṇa
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• akṣayam: imperishable/inexhaustible
• akṣayam: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-kṣaya
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• dattvā: having given
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (दा)
• Form: Ktva (absolutive/gerund)

• lokān: worlds/realms
• lokān: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• āpnōti: obtains
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (आप्)
• Form: Lat, Present, 3, Singular, Parasmaipada

• puṣkalān: abundant/plentiful
• puṣkalān: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṣkala
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• suvarṇa (gold)
• puṇya-lokas (meritorious/heavenly realms)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That giving ‘akṣaya’ (enduring, inexhaustible) wealth—symbolized by gold—brings two results: great renown in this life and secure attainment of abundant meritorious realms after death, without spiritual decline.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vasiṣṭha is instructing on dāna-dharma (the duty and power of charitable giving), describing the rewards of donating imperishable gold: lasting fame on earth and prosperous heavenly worlds in the hereafter.