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

ഹേ സുലോചനേ! ‘നിഃക്ഷീരാ’ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ മൂന്നു ദിവസം സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത്, പിന്നെ മാനസസരോവരത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് അവിടെ വിധിപൂർവ്വം ശ്രാദ്ധം ആചരിക്കണം।

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

Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"shanta","secondary_rasa":"bhakti","emotional_journey":"Gentle instruction: a calm, stepwise ritual itinerary (three-day bathing, then Mānasasaras bath, then śrāddha) culminating in reverent performance."}

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.