Shloka 64

The Greatness of Gayā

Gayā-Māhātmya

Devanagari script

स्नात्वा दिनत्रयं तत्र निःक्षीरायां सुलोचने । मानसे सरसि स्नात्वा श्राद्धं तत्र समाचरेत् ॥ ६४ ॥

Transliteration

snātvā dinatrayaṃ tatra niḥkṣīrāyāṃ sulocane | mānase sarasi snātvā śrāddhaṃ tatra samācaret || 64 ||

Translation

Ô toi aux beaux yeux : après s’être baigné là trois jours dans le tīrtha nommé Niḥkṣīrā, puis s’être baigné dans le lac Mānasa, qu’on accomplisse en ce lieu le rite de Śrāddha selon la règle.

Word by Word

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: Kṛdanta; absolutive/gerund (क्त्वान्त)

• dina-trayam: for three days
• dina-trayam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana; dvigu-samāsa ‘three days’ used as duration

• tatra: there
• tatra: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (स्थानवाचक)

• niḥ-kṣīrāyām: in (the place/lake) Niḥkṣīrā
• niḥ-kṣīrāyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niḥ (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + kṣīrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Saptamī (7th/सप्तमी), Ekavacana; proper/place-name-like usage; ‘in Niḥkṣīrā’

• su-locane: O Sulocanā (fair-eyed one)
• su-locane: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन) (contextual)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + locana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Saptamī (7th/सप्तमी), Ekavacana; karmadhāraya ‘beautiful-eyed’; used as vocative-like epithet in locative addressing/context (O Sulocanā)

• mānase: in the Mānasa (lake)
• mānase: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mānasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Saptamī (7th/सप्तमी), Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of ‘sarasi’

• sarasi: in the lake
• sarasi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Saptamī (7th/सप्तमी), Ekavacana

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: Kṛdanta; absolutive/gerund (क्त्वान्त)

• śrāddham: Śrāddha rite
• śrāddham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana

• tatra: there
• tatra: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (स्थानवाचक)

• samācaret: should perform
• samācaret: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√car (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्, optative), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

Speaker

Narada

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: none

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Narada
• Mānasa-sarovara
• Niḥkṣīrā

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It links tīrtha-snāna (purificatory bathing at a sacred site) with pitṛ-kārya (ancestral duty): after disciplined bathing, one completes the merit by performing śrāddha at the same holy place.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

While primarily a ritual instruction, it supports bhakti through dharma: honoring ancestors and following tīrtha-vidhi is presented as a sacred act aligned with reverence for the divine order upheld in the Purāṇas.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Kalpa (ritual procedure) is emphasized: the verse specifies a sequence—three-day snāna, then bathing at Mānasa, then śrāddha—showing procedural discipline central to Vedic ritual practice.