Shloka 8
Description of the Rules for Charitable Gifts and Related Rites
Gaṅgā-māhātmya
ये मता दुर्गता मर्त्यास्तर्पितास्तत्कुलोद्भवैः । कुशैस्तिलैर्गांगजलैस्ते प्रयांति हरेः पदम् ॥ ८ ॥
ye matā durgatā martyāstarpitāstatkulodbhavaiḥ | kuśaistilairgāṃgajalaiste prayāṃti hareḥ padam || 8 ||
ये मता दुर्गताः मर्त्याः, तेषां तर्पणं यदा स्वकुलोद्भवैः कुशतिलगङ्गाजलैः क्रियते, तदा ते हरेः परमं पदं प्रयान्ति।
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It teaches that pitṛ-tarpaṇa performed by one’s descendants—especially using kuśa, til, and Gaṅgā water—has the power to uplift even those who died in an inauspicious condition, ultimately directing them toward Hari’s supreme abode.
By linking ancestral rites to “Hareḥ padam,” the verse frames śrāddha not as mere ritualism but as a Viṣṇu-centered act: service to the pitṛs becomes an indirect offering to Hari, aligning family duty with bhakti and liberation.
Ritual procedure (kalpa/śrauta-smārta practice) is implied: the prescribed materials—kuśa, til, and Gaṅgā-jala—indicate correct tarpaṇa dravya selection and method for śrāddha/pitṛ-kārya performed by eligible descendants.