Shloka 29
The Deeds of Cyavana
in the Context of Guru-tirtha Glorification
ज्वालाहुताशनी स्वाहा काला चैव कपिंजला । स्वधा च सुकला लिंगा गंभीरा भीमवाहिनी
jvālāhutāśanī svāhā kālā caiva kapiṃjalā | svadhā ca sukalā liṃgā gaṃbhīrā bhīmavāhinī
Jvālāhutāśanī, Svāhā, Kālā und auch Kapiñjalā; Svadhā, Sukalā, Liṅgā, Gambhīrā und Bhīmavāhinī — (so werden die Namen aufgezählt).
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (likely within the Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue frame typical of Bhūmi-khaṇḍa).
Concept: Earthly sacred waters mirror cosmic ritual principles (yajña and pitṛ-tarpaṇa); approaching tīrthas with ritual awareness integrates karma and devotion.
Application: When performing homa, japa, or ancestor remembrance, cultivate inner cleanliness and dedicate the act to Nārāyaṇa; treat water as sacred and conserve it.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sacred fire altar glows beside a dark, deep river; from the flames rise feminine forms labeled Svāhā and Svadhā, who then dissolve into the river’s current as if ritual and water are one. The air is thick with incense and mantra, and the river reflects tongues of fire like moving gold.","primary_figures":["Nadī-devīs named Svāhā and Svadhā (personified)","A hotṛ-like priest/sage","Attendant devas as subtle silhouettes"],"setting":"Twilight riverbank with a yajña-vedī, kusa grass, ladles, and offering bowls; the river appears unusually profound (gambhīrā).","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["smoky amber","deep indigo","copper gold","ash gray","crimson"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a yajña scene on a riverbank with Svāhā and Svadhā as richly adorned goddesses emerging from stylized flames; heavy gold leaf on fire, jewelry, and halos; ornate arch frame, red-green textiles, embossed patterns on the vedī and vessels.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined priest pouring ghee into a small fire by a calm river; two delicate goddesses appear in translucent form above the flames; cool dusk palette with precise linework, minimal gold, lyrical naturalism and distant trees.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined fire altar, stylized river bands, Svāhā/Svadhā with large eyes and elaborate crowns; flat pigment fields in red/yellow/green with black contours; temple-wall composition symmetry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central yajña flame as a lotus-flame motif, river rendered as patterned blue textile waves; decorative borders of marigolds and lotuses; small mantra-cartouches reading ‘svāhā’ and ‘svadhā’ integrated into floral medallions, gold highlights on vessels."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["crackling fire","mantra murmurs","small bells","river hush","conch shell (soft)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: चैव = च + एव
FAQs
It functions as a catalog of sacred epithets/names—likely part of a longer hymn or name-recitation (nāma-saṅgraha) where each name is invoked for merit, protection, or ritual efficacy.
Svāhā is the personified oblation and the utterance used when offering into fire (Agni) in Vedic ritual; Svadhā is associated with offerings to the ancestors (pitṛs). Both can appear as divine personifications and as ritual formulas.
Primarily liturgical: it enumerates names/epithets rather than presenting an argument. The theological implication is that the addressed divinity is approached through many forms and ritual-identities (fire-offering, ancestral offering, time/darkness, profundity, etc.).