Shloka 69

Tīrtha-yātrā: Phalaśruti and Sacred Geography from Lohitya to Prayāga

Pulastya’s Instruction

Devanagari script

देवान्‌ पितृन्‌ समुद्दिश्य तस्य धर्मफलं महत्‌ | एकस्मिन्‌ भोजिते विप्रे कोटिर्भवति भोजिता

Transliteration

devān pitṝn samuddiśya tasya dharmaphalaṁ mahat | ekasmin bhojite vipre koṭir bhavati bhojitā ||

Translation

ਦੇਵਤਿਆਂ ਅਤੇ ਪਿਤਰਾਂ ਦੇ ਉਦੇਸ਼ ਨਾਲ ਅੰਨ-ਦਾਨ ਕਰਨ ਨਾਲ ਉਸ ਦਾ ਧਰਮ-ਫਲ ਬਹੁਤ ਮਹਾਨ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ। ਐਸੇ ਭਾਵ ਨਾਲ ਜੇ ਇਕ ਬ੍ਰਾਹਮਣ ਨੂੰ ਵੀ ਭੋਜਨ ਕਰਾਇਆ ਜਾਵੇ, ਤਾਂ ਮਾਨੋ ਇਕ ਕਰੋੜ ਨੂੰ ਭੋਜਨ ਕਰਾਇਆ—ਇੰਨਾ ਵੱਡਾ ਉਸ ਕਰਮ ਦਾ ਪੁੰਨ-ਫਲ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

देवान्the gods

पितॄन्the ancestors (manes)

समुद्दिश्यhaving dedicated/aimed (the act) to; intending

तस्यof that; its

धर्मफलम्the merit-fruit (result) of the rite/duty

महत्great

एकस्मिन्in/when (there is) one

भोजितेwhen (someone) has been fed; upon feeding

विप्रेin/with regard to a brahmin

कोटिःa crore; ten million

भवतिbecomes; is

भोजिताfed (one); entertained with food

Speaker

घुलस्त्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

द

देव (Devas)

प

पितृ (Pitṛs/ancestors)

व

विप्र (Brāhmaṇa)

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that the intention of dedicating an act to the gods and ancestors greatly magnifies its dharmic merit; feeding even one worthy brāhmaṇa with such dedication is counted as feeding an immense multitude.

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker (here attributed as ‘Ghulasṭya’) explains the religious-ethical value of feeding a brāhmaṇa as an offering connected to devas and pitṛs, emphasizing how a single act of hospitality can yield vast merit.