Shloka 19
गङ्गाधारणम् (Gaṅgādhāraṇa) — Śiva Bears the Descent of Gaṅgā
यावत् तानि शरीराणि त्वं जलै्नाभिषिज्चसि । तावत् तेषां गतिरनास्ति सागराणां महानदि
yāvat tāni śarīrāṇi tvaṃ jalair abhiṣiñcasi | tāvat teṣāṃ gatir nāsti sāgarāṇāṃ mahānadī ||
Lomaśa berkata: “Selama engkau terus memercikkan air ke atas jasad-jasad itu, selama itulah tiada perjalanan lanjut bagi mereka—wahai sungai agung yang mengalir ke lautan.”
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a dharmic idea tied to funerary and transitional rites: until the proper ritual action is completed, the deceased are understood as not attaining their onward ‘gati’ (passage/destiny). It highlights responsibility and correctness in rites connected with death.
Lomaśa addresses a ‘great river’ and states that as long as the bodies are being sprinkled with water, those beings do not proceed onward—implying an ongoing rite or liminal moment where the dead are held in transition until the act is finished.