Shloka 6
Description of the Rules for Charitable Gifts and Related Rites
Gaṅgā-māhātmya
पितृलोकेषु ये केचित्सर्वेषां पितरः स्थिताः । तर्प्यमाणाः परां तृप्तिं यांति गंगाजलैः शुभैः ॥ ६ ॥
pitṛlokeṣu ye kecitsarveṣāṃ pitaraḥ sthitāḥ | tarpyamāṇāḥ parāṃ tṛptiṃ yāṃti gaṃgājalaiḥ śubhaiḥ || 6 ||
All the forefathers, whoever they may be, abiding in the realms of the Pitṛs, when offered libations, attain supreme satisfaction through the auspicious waters of the Gaṅgā.
Narada (teaching in the context of Ganga-mahatmya in Uttara-Bhaga)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It declares the exceptional purifying power of Gaṅgā-jala in Pitṛ-kārya: when used for tarpaṇa, it reaches the Pitṛs in their realm and grants them the highest satisfaction, highlighting Gaṅgā as a foremost tīrtha in Uttara-Bhāga.
By honoring the Pitṛs through sacred Gaṅgā water, the practitioner aligns family duty with reverence for a divine tīrtha; such śraddhā-filled ritual becomes a devotional act that supports purity and dharmic living, which are favorable to bhakti.
It points to ritual application (kalpa/ācāra) within śrāddha and tarpaṇa—specifically the use of tīrtha-water (Gaṅgā-jala) as a sanctifying medium in ancestral offerings.