Shloka 140
The Tale of the Five Pretas and the Glory of Puṣkara & the Eastern Sarasvatī
प्राचीसरस्वती तत्र नरैः किं मृग्यते परम् । तस्यां स्नानात्फलं तृप्त्यै तपोयज्ञादिलक्षणम्
prācīsarasvatī tatra naraiḥ kiṃ mṛgyate param | tasyāṃ snānātphalaṃ tṛptyai tapoyajñādilakṣaṇam
هناك عند ساراسفتي الشرقية (براچي)، أيُّ مكسبٍ أسمى يطلبه الناس؟ فإن الاغتسال فيها يمنح ثمرةً تُشبع النفس تمامًا، تماثل ثمرات التقشّف والقرابين وسائر الأعمال.
Unspecified (narrative voice within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa context)
Concept: Tīrtha-snāna at Prācī Sarasvatī grants a fruit that satisfies fully, akin to the results of austerity and sacrifice.
Application: When elaborate rituals are impossible, choose sincere, simple purificatory practices—pilgrimage, bathing, prayer, and ethical living—done with faith and restraint.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: river
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The Prācī Sarasvatī flows broad and serene, its waters shimmering as if infused with mantra. Pilgrims step into the river with folded hands; above them, faint visions of sacrificial fires and ascetics appear like mirages, symbolizing that this single bath equals tapas and yajña.","primary_figures":["river goddess Sarasvatī (subtle anthropomorphic presence)","pilgrims","ascetic silhouettes (symbolic)","yajña-priest silhouettes (symbolic)"],"setting":"wide river bend with ancient ghats, flowering reeds, distant hermitage smoke, and a small yajña-vedi on the bank","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["pearl white","lotus pink","sapphire blue","pale gold","river-slate"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Sarasvatī-devī emerging subtly from the river with veena and lotus, pilgrims bathing at ornate ghats, symbolic yajña flames rendered behind as a golden aura, heavy gold leaf on halos and river highlights, rich reds/greens, temple-arch framing with floral scrollwork.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: tranquil river landscape with delicate ripples, pilgrims in simple garments, ethereal overlay of ascetics and a tiny yajña scene in the background, cool blues and soft pinks, refined facial features, lyrical trees and distant hills, meticulous brushwork.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized Sarasvatī as river-goddess with bold outlines, pilgrims in frontal poses, decorative river patterns, red-yellow-green palette with black contouring, temple-wall aesthetic borders featuring lotus and conch motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: river as a central band with lotus clusters, pilgrims arranged symmetrically, ornate floral borders, deep blue ground with gold accents, peacocks and cows near the bank as auspicious motifs, subtle Vaishnava symbols integrated into the border."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["flowing water","distant Vedic chanting","soft temple bells","wind through reeds","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स्नानात्+फलम्→स्नानात्फलम्; तपस्+यज्ञ→तपोयज्ञ (विसर्ग-लोप/ओ-आदेश); यज्ञ+आदि+लक्षणम्→यज्ञादिलक्षणम् (समास/सन्धि)।
FAQs
It presents the tīrtha as spiritually complete in itself: bathing there is said to yield a result comparable to major religious disciplines such as austerities and sacrifices.
It equates the ‘fruit’ of bathing at the sacred river with the characteristic results of tapas and yajña, implying that tīrtha-snāna can function as an efficient, accessible means to religious merit and inner fulfillment.
The verse encourages sincere engagement with sacred practices that purify and satisfy the heart, emphasizing attainable disciplines (like tīrtha-snāna) rather than only demanding rites.