Shloka 4

Devanagari script

गयाम् उपेत्य यः श्राद्धं करोति पृथिवीपते सफलं तस्य तज् जन्म जायते पितृतुष्टिदम्

Transliteration

gayām upetya yaḥ śrāddhaṃ karoti pṛthivīpate saphalaṃ tasya taj janma jāyate pitṛtuṣṭidam

Translation

О владыка земли, кто придёт в Гаю и совершит там обряды шраддхи, тот делает само своё рождение плодотворным, ибо это приносит удовлетворение и покой предкам.

Word by Word

• गयाम्: to Gayā
• गयाम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; गन्तव्यकर्म (goal as object)

• उपेत्य: having gone/approached
• उपेत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उप-√इ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• करोति: performs
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• पृथिवीपते: O lord of the earth
• पृथिवीपते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी-पति (प्रातिपदिक; पृथिवी + पति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ('lord of the earth')

• सफलम्: fruitful
• सफलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-फल (प्रातिपदिक; स + फल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मधारय ('with fruit' = fruitful)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• जायते: arises, is born
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• पितृतुष्टिदम्: giving satisfaction to the ancestors
• पितृतुष्टिदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पितृ-तुष्टि-द (प्रातिपदिक; पितृ + तुष्टि + द)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष ('giver of satisfaction to the fathers')

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (to Maitreya; the verse itself addresses a king as 'pṛthivīpate' within the narration)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Merit of performing śrāddha at Gayā and its special efficacy for pitṛs

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Pilgrimage to a highly charged tīrtha and performance of śrāddha there is taught as a dharmic act that makes one’s life ‘saphala’ by bringing peace to ancestors.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: If undertaking ancestral rites, do them with intentionality—either at a recognized tīrtha like Gayā or by creating a disciplined, reverent observance at home with proper guidance.

Vishishtadvaita: Tīrthas are understood as places where the Lord’s sustaining presence makes dharmic action especially potent for the welfare of connected souls (pitṛs), reflecting relational, qualified non-duality.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Pitrs (ancestors)
• Gaya (tirtha)

FAQs

What is the significance of Gayā-śrāddha in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse states that performing śrāddha at Gayā makes one’s life truly fruitful because it directly satisfies the Pitṛs, emphasizing Gayā as a uniquely potent tīrtha for ancestral rites.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the purpose of śrāddha in this context?

Parāśara presents śrāddha as a dharmic act whose primary aim is pitṛtuṣṭi—bringing contentment to one’s ancestors—thereby fulfilling a key human obligation within the moral order upheld by Vishnu.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Even when discussing ritual practice, the Vishnu Purana frames dharma as meaningful within a cosmos governed by Vishnu; the merit of tīrthas and rites operates under the Supreme Lord’s sustaining order.