Shloka 15

Gajendra's Deliverance — Gajendra’s Deliverance and the Protective Power of Remembrance (Japa)

Devanagari script

न तत्कृतघ्नाः पश्यन्ति न नृशंसा न नास्तिकाः नातप्ततपसो लोके ये च पापकृतो जनाः

Transliteration

na tatkṛtaghnāḥ paśyanti na nṛśaṃsā na nāstikāḥ nātaptatapaso loke ye ca pāpakṛto janāḥ

Translation

Those who are ungrateful (who destroy or deny benefits received) do not behold it; nor do the cruel, nor the unbelievers; nor those who have not undertaken austerities in the world; nor people who commit sinful acts.

Speakers

• Narrator/teacher voice within the Saromahatmya (speaker not specified in the provided excerpt) describing eligibility to behold the tirtha

Key Themes

• Tirtha Mahima
• Adhikara (eligibility) for sacred vision
• Ethics as prerequisite for pilgrimage merit
• Tapas (austerity) and purity

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What does the verse mean by “they do not behold it”—is this physical sight or spiritual access?

In tirtha-mahātmya idiom, “seeing” (darśana) is both literal and spiritual: the impure may pass nearby yet fail to receive the tirtha’s revelatory benefit. The verse frames darśana as conditioned by moral and ascetic fitness (adhikāra).

Why are “ungrateful” (tatkṛtaghna) persons singled out alongside nāstikas and sinners?

Tatkṛtaghnatā is treated as a grave ethical failure because it negates reciprocity and dharmic social order. In pilgrimage literature, gratitude and honoring benefaction are markers of inner purity; their absence blocks the fruit of sacred contact.

Does this imply that tapas is mandatory for pilgrimage success?

The verse presents tapas broadly as disciplined self-restraint (not only severe asceticism). It indicates that some measure of inner discipline and repentance is expected for the tirtha’s full efficacy, aligning pilgrimage with ethical transformation rather than mere travel.