Shloka 3
The Account of Sukalā and the Greatness of Nārī-tīrtha
Wife-Assisted Śrāddha and Pitṛ-Liberation
श्राद्धदानं गृहं गत्वा तस्या हस्तेन वै कुरु । स्मृत्वा पुण्यानि तीर्थानि यजस्व त्वं सुरोत्तमान्
śrāddhadānaṃ gṛhaṃ gatvā tasyā hastena vai kuru | smṛtvā puṇyāni tīrthāni yajasva tvaṃ surottamān
จงไปยังเรือนของนาง แล้วประกอบทานศราทธะด้วยมือนางเอง ระลึกถึงทีรถะอันเป็นบุญ แล้วบูชาเหล่าเทวะผู้ประเสริฐยิ่ง
Unspecified (context-dependent instruction within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa narrative)
Concept: Śrāddha performed with the wife’s participation and with tīrtha-smaraṇa, coupled with worship of the devas, yields heightened merit and ancestral uplift.
Application: When performing family rites, involve the household in a respectful, unified way; add sacred remembrance (names of tirthas, mantras, or pilgrim memories) to elevate intention.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"In a clean courtyard, Sukalā’s hands pour water from a copper lota into a leaf-cup offering, while Kṛkala arranges kuśa grass and sesame for śrāddha. Above them, a luminous mandala of imagined tīrthas—river confluences, ghats, and temple spires—floats like a sacred map in the mind’s sky as they worship the highest gods.","primary_figures":["Krikala","Sukala","symbolic Devas (as radiant presences)"],"setting":"household courtyard altar with kusa grass, sesame, pindas, copper vessels; visionary overlay of tirthas","lighting_mood":"forest dappled","color_palette":["copper bronze","sesame brown","leaf green","river blue","sunlit gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: domestic śrāddha scene with Sukala’s hands offering water and Krikala arranging pinda and kusa; radiant Deva-figures in the upper panel with gold leaf halos; a stylized sacred geography mandala (ghats, rivers, temples) behind them; rich reds/greens, ornate jewelry, embossed gold detailing on vessels and halos.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate courtyard with delicate ritual objects; Sukala and Krikala in gentle profile; translucent overlay of rivers and ghats like a dream-map; cool blues and soft greens, refined faces, lyrical trees and birds at the edge of the scene.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined figures performing śrāddha; iconic copper pot and kusa rendered with stylized clarity; upper register shows simplified temple spires and river bands as a sacred map; strong earthy pigments, temple-wall composition.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symmetrical altar arrangement with lotus borders; central couple performing offerings; above them a decorative panel of stylized rivers and ghats; deep blue background with gold floral filigree, intricate border motifs including lotus and sacred geometry."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["flowing water (poured)","mantra murmurs","temple bells (distant)","birds"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: श्राद्धदानं = श्राद्ध + दानम् (समास); सुरोत्तमान् = सुर + उत्तमान् (समास).
FAQs
The verse instructs performing śrāddha-dāna (ancestral oblations/charitable offering connected with śrāddha), specifically to be done “by her hand,” and then to worship the foremost deities while remembering sacred tīrthas.
In Purāṇic dharma, remembrance of holy places is treated as a merit-generating act that sanctifies ritual performance; it frames the worship as aligned with the broader tīrtha tradition of purification and पुण्य (religious merit).
It emphasizes conscientious ritual duty (śrāddha as a responsibility toward ancestors) and devotional orientation (worship of “the best of the gods”), suggesting that household rites and remembrance of sacred geography support a dharmic life.