Shloka 56

पितृसर्ग-श्राद्धमाहात्म्य-प्रश्नः

Pitṛ-sarga and the Greatness of Śrāddha: The Inquiry

Devanagari script

समुद्रं पर्वतवनं जंगमाजंगमैर्वृतम् । श्राद्धानि पुष्टिकामैश्च ये करिष्यंति मानवाः

Transliteration

samudraṃ parvatavanaṃ jaṃgamājaṃgamairvṛtam | śrāddhāni puṣṭikāmaiśca ye kariṣyaṃti mānavāḥ

Translation

ಸಮುದ್ರದಿಂದ ಆವರಿತ, ಪರ್ವತ-ವನಗಳಿಂದ ತುಂಬಿದ, ಚರಾಚರ ಜೀವಿಗಳಿಂದ ವ್ಯಾಪ್ತವಾದ ಈ ಲೋಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಪೋಷಣೆ ಮತ್ತು ಸಮೃದ್ಧಿಯನ್ನು ಬಯಸಿ ಶ್ರಾದ್ಧಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡುವ ಮಾನವರು ಧರ್ಮಬಲದಿಂದ ಇಷ್ಟವೃದ್ಧಿ ಹಾಗೂ ಕ್ಷೇಮವನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತಾರೆ।

Word by Word

• समुद्रम्: ocean
• समुद्रम्: कर्म (Karma/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पर्वतवनम्: mountains and forests
• पर्वतवनम्: कर्म (Karma/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत-वन (प्रातिपदिक; पर्वत + वन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (itaretara): पर्वताश्च वनानि च

• जङ्गम-अजङ्गमैः: by moving and unmoving (creatures)
• जङ्गम-अजङ्गमैः: करण (Karaṇa/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जङ्गम + अजङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समाहार-द्वन्द्व), तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘moving and non-moving (beings)’

• वृतम्: surrounded
• वृतम्: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √वृ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘enclosed/surrounded’

• श्राद्धानि: śrāddha rites
• श्राद्धानि: कर्म (Karma/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• पुष्टिकामैः: by those desiring prosperity
• पुष्टिकामैः: कर्ता (Kartā/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुष्टि-काम (प्रातिपदिक; पुष्टि + काम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी): पुष्टेः कामाः येषाम् (desirous of nourishment/prosperity)

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्ध (Sambandha/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ये: who
• ये: कर्ता (Kartā/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• करिष्यन्ति: will perform
• करिष्यन्ति: क्रिया (Kriyā/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• मानवाः: humans
• मानवाः: कर्ता (Kartā/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Īśāna

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it universalizes śrāddha’s relevance across the whole inhabited cosmos (moving/ unmoving beings), implying a world-sustaining dharma.

Significance: Affirms that prosperity (puṣṭi) sought through dharma is not merely personal but ecological/cosmic—aligning human action with maintenance of the world-order.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Annapūrṇā

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: naivedya

FAQs

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

It affirms that śrāddha, performed with right intention and dharmic conduct, sustains both worldly wellbeing (puṣṭi) and spiritual order, honoring the ancestral stream that supports embodied life.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

In Shaiva dharma, proper pitr̥ rites complement Saguna Shiva worship by purifying obligations (ṛṇa) and stabilizing the devotee’s life, making devotion and discipline fit to mature toward Shiva’s grace.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The direct practice is śrāddha performed for nourishment and welfare; it may be harmonized with Shaiva observance by adding japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and offering charity with a pure mind.