Shloka 19

Devanagari script

पितृणां चोदकं तत्र ददौ पूर्णमनोरथ: । एतत्‌ ते सर्वमाख्यातं गड़ा त्रिपथगा यथा,तत्पश्चात्‌ वहाँ उन्होंने पितरोंके लिये जलदान किया और पितरोंका उद्धार होनेसे वे सफल मनोरथ हो गये। युधिष्ठिर! जिस प्रकार गंगा त्रिपथगा (स्वर्ग, पाताल और पृथ्वीपर गमन करनेवाली) हुई, वह सब प्रसंग मैंने तुम्हें सुना दिया

Transliteration

pitṝṇāṁ codakaṁ tatra dadau pūrṇamanorathaḥ | etat te sarvam ākhyātaṁ gaṅgā tripathagā yathā ||

Translation

Tại đó, ông dâng lễ rưới nước cho các Pitṛs (linh hồn tổ tiên); khi sự giải thoát của họ đã thành, ông trở thành người toại nguyện. Hỡi Yudhiṣṭhira, ta đã kể cho con trọn vẹn câu chuyện về việc Gaṅgā trở thành “Tripathagā”—dòng sông có lộ trình xuyên qua trời, cõi âm và mặt đất—qua đó nêu rõ sức mạnh của dharma trong hiếu lễ và của nước thiêng trong việc trợ giúp tiền nhân.

Word by Word

• {'pitṝṇām': 'of the Pitṛs

• of the ancestors', 'udakam': 'water

• (ritual) water-offering/libation', 'tatra': 'there

• in that place/occasion', 'dadau': 'he gave

• he offered', 'pūrṇa-manorathaḥ': 'one whose wish/aim is fulfilled

• fully satisfied in purpose', 'etat': 'this', 'te': 'to you', 'sarvam': 'all

• the whole (account)', 'ākhyātam': 'told

• explained', 'gaṅgā': 'the river Gaṅgā', 'tripathagā': 'moving in three paths

• flowing through heaven, earth, and the netherworld', 'yathā': 'as

Speaker

लोगश उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Gaṅgā
• Yudhiṣṭhira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights pitṛ-dharma: offering water (tarpana/udaka-dāna) to one’s ancestors is a righteous duty believed to benefit and uplift them; fulfilling such obligations brings inner completion and moral satisfaction.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker concludes a narration to Yudhiṣṭhira: after performing water-offerings for the ancestors and achieving the intended spiritual result, he states that he has fully explained the episode of how the Gaṅgā became known as Tripathagā, the river traversing three realms.