Shloka 27
Ratnagrīva’s Pilgrimage and the Prescribed Procedure for Visiting Sacred Tīrthas
यानेन गच्छन्पुरुषः समभागफलं लभेत् । उपानद्भ्यां चतुर्थांशं गोयाने गोवधादिकम्
yānena gacchanpuruṣaḥ samabhāgaphalaṃ labhet | upānadbhyāṃ caturthāṃśaṃ goyāne govadhādikam
من يسافر على مركبة ينال نصيباً مساوياً من الثواب؛ ومن يسافر منتعلاً ينال ربع النصيب؛ أمّا من يسافر بعربة تجرّها الثيران فيقع في (إثم) قتل البقر وما شابهه.
Unspecified (narrative instruction within the chapter; speaker not given in the provided excerpt)
Concept: Pilgrimage merit is conditioned by means: convenience can dilute tapas; harm to beings (even indirectly) corrupts sacred intent.
Application: Choose ethical, low-harm ways of pursuing spiritual goals; avoid ‘ends justify means’ thinking; let devotion increase simplicity rather than entitlement.
Primary Rasa: dharma-shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A forked road shows three travelers: one walking barefoot with a staff, one riding in a decorated vehicle, and one approaching an ox-cart whose wheels press into the earth as the ox looks weary. Above, a subtle dharma-scale motif weighs their choices, while a faint shadowy stain hovers near the ox-cart path, hinting at the karmic cost of harm.","primary_figures":["three pilgrims (walker, vehicle rider, ox-cart traveler)","symbolic dharma-scale or śāstra scroll motif"],"setting":"roadside near a tīrtha route with milestone stones, sparse trees, distant temple spire; moral allegory composition","lighting_mood":"overcast with a moralizing chiaroscuro","color_palette":["muted brown","ash gray","saffron accent","indigo shadow","pale gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: triptych-like composition—left barefoot pilgrim with gold aura, center traveler in palanquin/vehicle with moderate gold, right ox-cart scene with subdued tones and a faint dark karmic cloud; ornate border, gold leaf used to highlight dharma symbols (scale, śāstra) and temple silhouette.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: narrative moral scene on a winding path, delicate expressions—serene walker, complacent rider, strained ox; cool palette with subtle symbolic shadow near the cart; refined landscape with small temple in distance.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and iconic figures in three panels; stylized ox-cart with emphasized eyes of the ox; dharma symbol above; red/yellow/green palette with darker tones around the cart to suggest doṣa.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: patterned road with repeating motifs; three pilgrim vignettes framed by floral borders; cows and peacocks as auspicious counterpoint, with the ox-cart vignette rendered in darker indigo-brown; gold highlights on dharma emblems and temple motifs."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["cartwheel creak","hoofbeats","wind gust","single temple bell strike","brief silence after warning phrase"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: gacchanpuruṣaḥ → gacchan + puruṣaḥ; samabhāgaphalam → sama-bhāga-phalam; caturthāṃśam → caturtha + aṃśam; goyāne → go-yāne; govadhādikam → go-vadha-ādikam.
FAQs
It contrasts the spiritual result of different modes of travel: travelling in a vehicle yields an equal share of merit, travelling with footwear yields only a quarter share, and travelling by an ox-cart is condemned as leading to grave demerit associated with harm to cattle.
The verse presents a strict ethical stance prioritizing protection of cattle; using cattle for transport is treated as implicating one in harm or exploitation, and is rhetorically equated with serious wrongdoing such as cow-killing and related sins.
They indicate proportional participation in the religious ‘fruit’ (phala) of a journey or act: a full/equal share when travelling by vehicle, and only one-quarter share when travelling with footwear.