Shloka 90
The Tale of the Five Pretas and the Glory of Puṣkara & the Eastern Sarasvatī
हाटकक्षितिगौरीणां तत्तीर्थेषु महोदयम् । दानं दत्तं नरैः स्नातैर्जनयत्यक्षयं फलम्
hāṭakakṣitigaurīṇāṃ tattīrtheṣu mahodayam | dānaṃ dattaṃ naraiḥ snātairjanayatyakṣayaṃ phalam
لمن ارتبطوا بهاتاكا (Hāṭaka) وكشيتي (Kṣiti) وغوري (Gaurī) علوٌّ روحي عظيم عند تيرثاتهم؛ وكل عطية يقدّمها الناس هناك بعد الاغتسال تُنبت ثمرة لا تفنى.
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context likely a Purāṇic narrator within Sṛṣṭi-khaṇḍa)
Concept: Snāna (ritual bathing) combined with dāna (charity) at a consecrated ford yields akṣaya merit—merit that does not decay.
Application: Pair purification with generosity: after any act of cleansing (bath, prayer), give—food, money, time—so inner purity becomes outward compassion.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Pilgrims emerge from a sacred ford, water streaming from their hair, while priests mark their foreheads with tilaka. Immediately after bathing, they offer gifts—grain, cloth, and lamps—to brahmins and the poor, and the air seems to shimmer as if the merit itself becomes visible.","primary_figures":["pilgrims (men and women)","tīrtha-purohitas","brahmins receiving dāna","the needy as recipients"],"setting":"stone ghāṭ at a tīrtha with carved markers naming Hāṭaka, Kṣiti, Gaurī; nearby banyan tree and small shrine","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["turquoise water","sunlit gold","vermillion","ivory white","emerald green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: ornate ghāṭ scene with pilgrims offering dāna after snāna, gold leaf halos around ritual lamps and water ripples, rich crimson-green architectural borders, jewel-like detailing on vessels and cloth bundles, symmetrical shrine panels naming the tīrthas.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate riverside charity scene—delicate figures with refined expressions, soft washes for water, small inscriptions on stones for tīrtha names, lyrical trees and birds, gentle emphasis on the moment of giving as spiritual uplift.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined pilgrims in dynamic post-bath gestures, stylized waves, priests with ritual implements, strong red-yellow-green palette, a central glowing aura indicating akṣaya-phala, temple-wall compositional balance.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: decorative ghāṭ with lotus borders, rows of lamps and floral motifs, donors offering cloth and grain, peacocks and cows at the margins, deep blue background with gold highlights suggesting imperishable merit."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["splashing water","temple bells","murmured mantras","coin clinks","conch shell"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तत्तीर्थेषु = तत् तीर्थेषु; स्नातैर्जनयति = स्नातैः जनयति.
FAQs
The verse states that charity (dāna) given after bathing (snāna) at the specified tīrthas yields akṣaya-phala—an inexhaustible spiritual result.
Tīrthas are presented as spiritually potent places where ritual purity through bathing, combined with ethical action (giving), leads to heightened merit and lasting results.
It links inner and outer purification to generosity: bathing alone is not the focus; the meritorious act is giving to others after becoming ritually purified.