सूत उवाच
अथ ते सम्परेतानां स्वानामुदकमिच्छताम् ।
दातुं सकृष्णा गङ्गायां पुरस्कृत्य ययुः स्त्रियः ॥१॥

sÅ«ta uvÄca
atha te samparetÄnÄá¹
svÄnÄm udakam icchatÄm
dÄtuá¹ saká¹›á¹£á¹‡Ä gaá¹…gÄyÄá¹
puraskṛtya yayuḥ striyaḥ

 sÅ«taḥ uvÄca - SÅ«ta said; atha - thus; te - the PÄṇá¸avas; samparetÄnÄm - of the dead; svÄnÄm - of the relatives; udakam - water; icchatÄm - willing to have; dÄtum - to deliver; sa-kṛṣṇÄḥ - along with DraupadÄ«; gaá¹…gÄyÄm - on the Ganges; puraská¹›tya - putting in the front; yayuḥ - went; striyaḥ - the women.


Text

SÅ«ta GosvÄmÄ« said: Thereafter the PÄṇá¸avas, desiring to deliver water to the dead relatives who had desired it, went to the Ganges with DraupadÄ«. The ladies walked in front.

Purport

To date it is the custom in Hindu society to go to the Ganges or any other sacred river to take bath when death occurs in the family. Each of the family members pours out a potful of the Ganges water for the departed soul and walks in a procession, with the ladies in the front. The PÄṇá¸avas also followed the rules more than five thousand years ago. Lord Kṛṣṇa, being a cousin of the PÄṇá¸avas, was also amongst the family members.