Shloka 17
Praise of Digging Wells and Building Water-Reservoirs
The Merit of Water-Works
एवं द्विस्त्रिश्चतुर्वापि गुणतो भोग्यमिष्यते । विस्तीर्णे प्रचुरं विद्धि सहस्रेणाच्युतो दिवः
evaṃ dvistriścaturvāpi guṇato bhogyamiṣyate | vistīrṇe pracuraṃ viddhi sahasreṇācyuto divaḥ
وهكذا يُقال إن ثمرته تُتَذَوَّق مرّتين أو ثلاثًا أو حتى أربعًا، بحسب صفاته. واعلم أنه إذا اتّسع صار غزيرًا—يُقاس بألف؛ وإن أتشيوتا، غير الفاني، حقًّا إلهيّ سماويّ.
Unspecified (context-dependent within Adhyaya 57; likely a narrator-sage speaking in the ongoing dialogue)
Concept: The experience of results multiplies according to the quality (guṇa) and extent of the act; Acyuta remains the imperishable divine ground beyond such measures.
Application: Attend to the ‘quality’ of practice—purity of intention, steadiness, and offering to Viṣṇu—rather than mere quantity; avoid reducing spirituality to tallying results.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A celestial ledger-like vision: luminous scales and garlands of numbers float among clouds, symbolizing fruits enjoyed two-, three-, and fourfold according to guṇa. Above the arithmetic of merit stands Acyuta as a calm, unmeasured radiance, dissolving the very notion of counting into divine presence.","primary_figures":["Acyuta (Viṣṇu)","celestial scribes (Chitragupta-like, symbolic)","gandharvas/apsarases (as ‘bhoga’ imagery)"],"setting":"A cloud-borne celestial hall with translucent pillars, starry canopy, and floating lotus platforms.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["opal white","sky blue","amethyst purple","golden amber","silver gray"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Acyuta centered with gold leaf aura; around him, symbolic scales, scrolls, and numbered garlands indicating multiplied fruits; apsarases and gandharvas in rich attire; heavy ornamentation, red-green contrasts, gem-like highlights, temple-icon framing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: airy svarga scene with delicate clouds and fine-lined scrolls; subtle depiction of multiplication as repeated motifs (two/three/four garlands); Acyuta serene above, cool palette with lyrical naturalism and refined faces.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Acyuta with bold outlines and large eyes, surrounded by stylized symbols of measure (scrolls, lotuses in repeating sets); celestial musicians at the margins; strong reds/yellows/greens with deep blue deity form.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central Viṣṇu-Kṛṣṇa mandala with repeated lotus clusters in sets of two, three, four; ornate borders, gold detailing on indigo ground; attendants and musicians arranged symmetrically, devotional abstraction of ‘counted’ merit."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["tanpura drone","soft cymbals","distant conch","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: द्विस्त्रिश्चतुर्वापि = द्विः + त्रिः + चतुः + वा + अपि; सहस्रेणाच्युतो = सहस्रेण + अच्युतः.
FAQs
It indicates that the experienced result (bhogya) varies in multiplicity based on guṇa—i.e., the quality or merit of the cause—so superior qualities yield amplified outcomes.
Acyuta is a standard epithet of Vishnu meaning “the infallible/imperishable,” used to mark divine agency or divine nature within cosmological or merit-based descriptions.
The verse emphasizes qualitative refinement—purity of intent and excellence of action—suggesting that outcomes are not only about quantity of deeds but the inner and moral quality behind them.