Shloka 40
Praise of Digging Wells and Building Water-Reservoirs
The Merit of Water-Works
ततः खाताधिपेनैव शैलं दूरे निपातितम् । पुण्यं खातस्य चोत्खाते प्रलुप्तस्य सुतेन हि
tataḥ khātādhipenaiva śailaṃ dūre nipātitam | puṇyaṃ khātasya cotkhāte praluptasya sutena hi
ثم إن خَاتادهيبا نفسه قذف الجبل بعيداً. وأما الفضل (puṇya) المتعلّق بخَاتا—بفعل الحفر والتنقيب—فقد ناله حقّاً ابنُ برالوبتا.
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context needed from surrounding verses; likely within a narrated dialogue such as Pulastya → Bhīṣma in Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa).
Concept: Merit accrues through public-benefit dharma—especially creating access to water; decisive intervention removes obstacles, and puṇya is transmitted/secured through rightful agency (here, the son of Pralupta).
Application: Support or sponsor wells, tanks, rainwater harvesting, and clean-water access; treat such service as sacred, not merely civic; dedicate the act to Viṣṇu for inner purification.
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A powerful guardian figure—Khātādhipa—hurls a massive mountain boulder across the sky, clearing the sacred excavation site. Below, workers and pilgrims stand near freshly dug earth and a forming tank, as the ‘son of Pralupta’ receives the subtle glow of puṇya, depicted as a luminous aura settling upon him like falling light.","primary_figures":["Khātādhipa (guardian lord)","son of Pralupta","workers/diggers","pilgrims"],"setting":"An excavation ground beside a sacred waterbody-in-formation: mounds of earth, stone tools, ghāṭa outlines, and distant trees/temple markers.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["terracotta brown","granite gray","aura gold","deep sky blue","sage green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Khātādhipa in heroic stance, arm extended mid-throw with a mountain rendered in stylized form; gold leaf aura around the guardian and around the recipient of puṇya; richly ornamented figures, crimson and emerald garments, ornate temple arch framing the excavation site with jewel-like detailing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: dynamic diagonal composition of a flying boulder; delicate depiction of diggers and the young heir (Pralupta’s son) receiving blessing; soft earth tones, clear blue sky, fine brushwork on tools and terrain, expressive yet restrained faces.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and rhythmic musculature for Khātādhipa; stylized mountain in motion; patterned earth mounds; the son of Pralupta with a bright yellow-gold aura; strong red/yellow/green palette with deep blue background.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic heroic vignette within ornate lotus borders; central guardian figure with raised arm, mountain arcing overhead; below, a nascent tank ringed by lotus motifs; deep indigo and gold highlights, peacocks at corners, subtle śaṅkha-cakra motifs to Vaishnavize the merit theme."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["thunderous impact","crowd gasp","stone rumble","conch shell","drum beats"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: खाताधिपेन + एव → खाताधिपेनैव (ए + ए → ऐ); च + उत्खाते → चोत्खाते (अ + उ → ओ).
FAQs
It says that Khātādhipa caused a mountain to be cast far away, and it links religious merit (puṇya) to an act of excavation/digging (utkhāta) associated with Khāta, credited to Pralupta’s son.
The verse underscores that specific righteous actions—here, a constructive deed like excavation—generate puṇya, and that such merit can be attributed to particular agents within the narrative.
Potentially yes: references to excavation and the displacement of a mountain often function in Purāṇic storytelling to explain the formation or accessibility of places. Confirming a tīrtha connection requires the immediately surrounding verses.