Shloka 16
Praise of Digging Wells and Building Water-Reservoirs
The Merit of Water-Works
विष्णोर्धाम लभेत्सोपि दिव्यभोगं तथैव च । अनंतरं नृपो जातो धनी वागीश्वरो भवेत्
viṣṇordhāma labhetsopi divyabhogaṃ tathaiva ca | anaṃtaraṃ nṛpo jāto dhanī vāgīśvaro bhavet
সেও বিষ্ণুৰ ধাম লাভ কৰে আৰু তেনেদৰে দিৱ্য ভোগ উপভোগ কৰে। তাৰ পাছত পুনৰ জন্ম ল’লে সি ধনৱান ৰজা হয় আৰু বাক্পতি—বাগীশ্বৰ—ৰূপে প্ৰসিদ্ধ হয়।
Not specified in the provided excerpt (context needed from surrounding verses).
Concept: Merit dedicated to Viṣṇu yields both transcendent attainment (Viṣṇu’s abode) and auspicious worldly rebirth (kingship, wealth, eloquence).
Application: Perform worship/charity/vrata with Viṣṇu as the intended recipient; cultivate truthful, devotional speech (vāṇī) as a spiritual asset, not merely social power.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devotee’s subtle body rises through a corridor of lotus-clouds toward Vaikuṇṭha, where Viṣṇu’s radiant presence promises both divine enjoyment and a future birth crowned with righteous kingship. Below, a second vignette shows the same soul reborn as a regal ruler, speaking with luminous eloquence before an attentive court.","primary_figures":["Viṣṇu (Acyuta)","Śrī Lakṣmī","the meritorious devotee (jīva)","celestial attendants (Viṣṇudūtas)","courtly ministers (rebirth vignette)"],"setting":"Vaikuṇṭha’s jeweled terraces and lotus-lakes transitioning to an earthly royal sabhā with banners and dharma-emblems.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["sapphire blue","lotus pink","gold leaf","pearl white","emerald green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Viṣṇu seated on a jeweled throne with Śrī Lakṣmī, Vaikuṇṭha arches and lotus-lake behind; a devotee offered upward by Viṣṇudūtas; inset panel of the devotee reborn as a crowned king speaking in sabhā, gold leaf halos, rich reds and greens, gem-studded ornaments, traditional South Indian iconography, ornate prabhāmaṇḍala.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: lyrical Vaikuṇṭha garden with lotus ponds and delicate cloud bands; Viṣṇu and Lakṣmī with refined faces; the jīva ascending like a small luminous figure; lower register shows a Himalayan-style palace court where the reborn king speaks with poised gesture, cool blues and soft pinks, intricate textiles, fine brushwork.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold-outlined Viṣṇu with large expressive eyes, Lakṣmī beside, Vaikuṇṭha motifs of lotuses and makaras; the ascending devotee guided by attendants; secondary scene of a king in dharmic posture addressing the court, natural pigment palette with dominant reds, yellows, greens, and deep blue skin tones.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Krishna-Viṣṇu as the divine center amid lotus motifs and floral borders; attendants carrying the devotee toward a golden mandala; a lower band with a royal court rendered as devotional service, peacocks and cows in the margins, deep indigo background with gold highlights, Nathdwara-inspired ornamentation."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["temple bells","conch shell","soft drone (tanpura)","celestial chimes"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: विष्णोर्धाम = विष्णोः + धाम; लभेत्सोपि = लभेत् + सः + अपि (त् + स → त्स; सः + अपि → सोऽपि); तथैव = तथा + एव
FAQs
It promises attainment of Viṣṇu’s abode (viṣṇor dhāma) and enjoyment of divine pleasures, indicating a Vaishnava soteriological goal.
It says that afterwards, upon rebirth, one becomes a king, wealthy, and highly eloquent (vāk-īśvara).
It reflects the Purāṇic principle that meritorious, devotion-linked actions yield both transcendent rewards (liberation-oriented proximity to Viṣṇu) and refined worldly fruits (prosperity, status, and speech).