Shloka 72

Account of Various Sacred Tīrthas

Pilgrimage Merits and Prayāga Supremacy

Devanagari script

प्रयागं जघनस्यांतमुपस्थमृषयो विदुः । प्रयागं सुप्रतिष्ठानं कंबलाश्वतरावुभौ

Transliteration

prayāgaṃ jaghanasyāṃtamupasthamṛṣayo viduḥ | prayāgaṃ supratiṣṭhānaṃ kaṃbalāśvatarāvubhau

Translation

يعلم الرِّشي أن براياگا هو «نهاية الوركين» و«موضع الخاصرة». ويعرفون براياگا أيضًا باسم سوبْراتيشْثانا (Supratiṣṭhāna)، وبأنه الموضعان المقدّسان التوأمان: كامبالا (Kaṃbala) وأشفاتارا (Aśvatara).

Word by Word

• प्रयागम्: Prayāga
• प्रयागम्: कर्म (Karma/Object) (of ‘viduḥ’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• जघनस्य: of the hind-part
• जघनस्य: सम्बन्ध (Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जघन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• अन्तम्: end/limit
• अन्तम्: कर्म (Karma/Object) (apposition to ‘प्रयागम्’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• उपस्थम्: lap/groin region
• उपस्थम्: कर्म (Karma/Object) (apposition to ‘प्रयागम्’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ऋषयः: sages
• ऋषयः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• विदुः: know/declare
• विदुः: क्रिया (Kriyā/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु) (ज्ञाने)
• Form: लिट् लकार (Perfect), प्रथम पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural); परस्मैपद

• प्रयागम्: Prayāga
• प्रयागम्: कर्म (Karma/Object) (elliptic: ‘(विदुः)’ understood)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• सुप्रतिष्ठानम्: well-established (place)
• सुप्रतिष्ठानम्: कर्म (Karma/Object) (appositional qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + प्रतिष्ठान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय-समास: सु-प्रतिष्ठानम् (well-established/firm seat) (as epithet/apposition to ‘प्रयागम्’)

• कम्बलाश्वतरौ: Kambala and Aśvatara
• कम्बलाश्वतरौ: कर्ता (Karta/Subject) (of implied ‘(विदुः)’/‘(आहुः)’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कम्बल + अश्वतर (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), द्विवचन (Dual); द्वन्द्व-समास: कम्बलः च अश्वतरः च

• उभौ: both
• उभौ: कर्तृसम्बन्धि विशेषण (Adjectival to Karta)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), द्विवचन (Dual)

Speaker

Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context needed from surrounding verses to confirm the dialogue frame).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: tirtha

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: जघनस्य + अन्तम् + उपस्थम् → जघनस्यांतमुपस्थम् (अ + उ → ओ/उ-प्रारम्भे संधि-लेखन; here written as concatenation). उपस्थम् + ऋषयः → उपस्थमृषयः (म् + ऋ → मृ).

Characters & Entities

• Prayāga
• Supratiṣṭhāna
• Kaṃbala
• Aśvatara
• Ṛṣis (sages)

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the geography of sacred Tīrthas?

It maps Prayāga through multiple traditional identifiers—anatomical metaphor (as a bodily ‘region’) and alternative place-names (Supratiṣṭhāna, Kaṃbala, Aśvatara), reflecting how a single sacred zone can contain or be known by several tīrtha-designations.

How does this verse emphasize the path of Bhakti?

Indirectly: by elevating Prayāga through revered names recognized by sages, it encourages pilgrimage and devotional reverence toward sacred spaces associated with merit and sanctity—common supports for bhakti practice in Purāṇic literature.

What is the ethical lesson from this dialogue?

To honor authoritative tradition (what the sages ‘know’) and approach sacred places with respect and discernment, recognizing that spiritual culture preserves multiple layers of meaning—names, metaphors, and localized tīrtha identities.