Shloka 137
Karma, Non-Violence, Tīrtha & Gaṅgā Merit, Vaiṣṇava Protection, Śālagrāma Worship, and Ekādaśī as Deliverance
तत्र देवाः सुरा यक्षा भुवनानि चतुर्दश । शालग्रामशिलायां तु यः श्राद्धं कुरुते नरः
tatra devāḥ surā yakṣā bhuvanāni caturdaśa | śālagrāmaśilāyāṃ tu yaḥ śrāddhaṃ kurute naraḥ
Là se trouvent les dieux, les Sura, les Yakṣa et les quatorze mondes. Mais l’homme qui accomplit le rite de śrāddha en lien avec la pierre Śālagrāma…
Unspecified (context-dependent narration within Svarga-khaṇḍa)
Concept: Śālagrāma is a cosmically charged locus; performing śrāddha in relation to it connects the rite to the entire sacred order (devas, yakṣas, lokas).
Application: Honor ancestors with sincerity and purity; if available, perform tarpaṇa/śrāddha with Vishnu-centered remembrance, charity, and feeding others.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: river
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A Śālagrāma rests on a ritual platform as a śrāddha offering is arranged—piṇḍas, sesame, and water in a copper vessel. Above the stone, the fourteen worlds appear as stacked translucent spheres, with devas and yakṣas hovering like guardians, showing the rite’s cosmic reach.","primary_figures":["Śālagrāma-śilā","a householder performing śrāddha","pitṛs (ancestral spirits)","devas and yakṣas (symbolic)"],"setting":"Ritual courtyard or riverbank pavilion with kusa grass, copper vessels, sesame seeds, and offerings; subtle cosmic overlay in the sky.","lighting_mood":"forest dappled","color_palette":["copper bronze","sesame brown","smoke gray","sky blue","saffron"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: ceremonial śrāddha scene with ornate altar; Śālagrāma centered under a gold-embossed arch; devas and yakṣas in the upper register with gold halos; ritual items—piṇḍas, tila, copper pātra—rendered with jewel-like detail, rich maroons and greens, heavy gold leaf emphasizing cosmic containment.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate domestic rite with refined gestures; soft earth tones; the fourteen worlds depicted as faint layered circles in the sky; delicate smoke from incense; calm, respectful mood, fine textile patterns and minimal gold.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: structured registers—lower: śrāddha ritual with bold outlines; middle: enlarged Śālagrāma with spiral motifs; upper: stylized devas/yakṣas and caturdaśa-loka symbols; warm pigment palette, temple-wall symmetry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Śālagrāma placed in a central lotus; around it, circular bands representing fourteen worlds with decorative iconography; border of conch/chakra motifs; deep blue ground with gold and saffron accents, floral vines framing the śrāddha offerings."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low chanting","rustle of kusa grass","soft bell","distant river flow"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शालग्रामशिलायां = शालग्राम-शिलायाम्; no major external sandhi besides standard anusvāra/visarga orthography.
FAQs
It juxtaposes Purāṇic cosmology (the fourteen worlds and celestial beings) with the special ritual efficacy attributed to performing śrāddha in relation to a Śālagrāma stone.
They are the traditional fourteen realms: seven higher (e.g., Bhūr, Bhuvar, Svar, Mahas, Jana, Tapa, Satya) and seven lower (e.g., Atala through Pātāla), collectively expressing the full cosmic hierarchy.
In Vaiṣṇava tradition, Śālagrāma-śilā is revered as a sacred manifestation of Viṣṇu; rites performed with its association are presented as especially meritorious, including ancestral śrāddha.