Shloka 61

Invocations, Definition and Authority of Purāṇa, Pulastya–Bhīṣma Frame, and the Creation–Dissolution Schema

Devanagari script

गंगाद्वारे महातीर्थे भीष्मः पितृपरायणः । शुश्रूषुः सुचिरं कालं महतां नियमे स्थितः

Transliteration

gaṃgādvāre mahātīrthe bhīṣmaḥ pitṛparāyaṇaḥ | śuśrūṣuḥ suciraṃ kālaṃ mahatāṃ niyame sthitaḥ

Translation

ഗംഗാദ്വാരമെന്ന മഹാതീർത്ഥത്തിൽ പിതൃപരായണനായ ഭീഷ്മൻ, മഹന്മാരുടെ നിയമങ്ങളിൽ സ്ഥിരനായി ദീർഘകാലം ശുശ്രൂഷയിൽ ഏർപ്പെട്ടു।

Word by Word

• गङ्गाद्वारे: at Gaṅgā-dvāra (Haridvāra)
• गङ्गाद्वारे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गाद्वार (प्रातिपदिक: गङ्गा + द्वार)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; देशवाचक

• महातीर्थे: at the great sacred ford
• महातीर्थे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महातीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक: महत् + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• भीष्मः: Bhīṣma
• भीष्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• पितृपरायणः: devoted to the ancestors
• पितृपरायणः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पितृपरायण (प्रातिपदिक: पितृ + परायण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (भीष्मः)

• शुश्रूषुः: desirous of serving
• शुश्रूषुः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुश्रूषु (प्रातिपदिक; desiderative-noun from श्रु/श्रूष्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (भीष्मः)

• सुचिरम्: for a very long (time)
• सुचिरम्: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal extent/काल)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुचिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (accusative of extent)

• कालम्: time
• कालम्: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal extent/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कालपरिमाणे (accusative of duration)

• महताम्: of the great (sages)
• महताम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• नियमे: in observance, in discipline
• नियमे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नियम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• स्थितः: stood, remained
• स्थितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृत्; पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (भीष्मः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; specific speaker not explicit in the given verse)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: tirtha

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: गंगाद्वारे = गङ्गा + द्वारे (तत्पुरुष); पितृपरायणः = पितृ + परायणः.

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Gaṅgā (implied by Gaṅgādvāra)
• Pitṛs (Manes/ancestors)

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the geography of sacred Tīrthas?

It highlights Gaṅgādvāra as a “mahātīrtha,” a major pilgrimage-ford associated with the Gaṅgā, showing how Purāṇic narrative anchors ethical and ritual life in specific sacred locations.

How does this verse emphasize the path of Bhakti or devotional practice?

Devotion is expressed here through śuśrūṣā (attentive service) and steady niyama (disciplined observance). The verse presents sustained service and regulated conduct at a tīrtha as a lived form of devotion.

What is the ethical lesson from this depiction of Bhīṣma?

The ethical model is long-term steadiness: honoring ancestors (pitṛ-parāyaṇatā), serving the worthy, and remaining firm in disciplined vows—virtues portrayed as hallmarks of “the great” (mahatām).