Shloka 31
The Greatness of the Revā (Narmadā): Release from the Piśāca Curse
रेवाजलकणस्पर्शात्पैशाच्यात्ते विमोचिताः । तत्क्षणाद्दिव्यवपुषः प्रशशंसुश्च नर्मदाम्
revājalakaṇasparśātpaiśācyātte vimocitāḥ | tatkṣaṇāddivyavapuṣaḥ praśaśaṃsuśca narmadām
Durch die Berührung eines einzigen Tropfens des Wassers der Revā wurden sie vom Zustand der Piśācas befreit. In eben diesem Augenblick nahmen sie göttliche Gestalten an und priesen die Narmadā.
Narrator (contextual; verse describes an event rather than direct speech)
Concept: Tirtha-sparśa (contact with sacred water) can instantaneously dissolve degraded states and reveal a higher, divinized identity.
Application: Approach sacred places with śraddhā; even small acts (a drop, a sip, a touch) done reverently can reorient one’s life toward purity and devotion.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: river
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"On the emerald-green banks of the Narmadā, a single droplet arcs through the air and touches afflicted beings whose shadowy piśāca-forms dissolve like smoke. In the same instant, they stand transfigured in luminous, celestial bodies, hands folded, voices raised in praise to the river-goddess as lotuses drift past.","primary_figures":["Narmadā-devī (personified river goddess)","newly transfigured divine beings (formerly piśācas)","attendant river-spirits (apsaras-like)"],"setting":"Rocky riverbank with ghāṭa steps, flowing midstream with lotus clusters, distant Vindhya-like hills and a small shrine with a fluttering dhvaja","lighting_mood":"divine radiance breaking through river-mist","color_palette":["sapphire blue","river emerald","lotus pink","gold leaf","pearl white"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Narmadā-devī rising from stylized waves holding a lotus and kalaśa, a single jeweled droplet touching dark piśāca silhouettes that transform into radiant gandharva-like forms; heavy gold leaf halos, rich crimson-green borders, gem-studded ornaments, temple-arch framing, South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate riverbank scene with misty Narmadā, a tiny droplet rendered as a bright bead of light; shadowy figures turning into luminous celestial youths, hands in añjali; cool blues and greens, lyrical hills, fine facial features, soft naturalism and flowing garments.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and flat natural pigments; Narmadā as a serene goddess with large expressive eyes, stylized waves, the droplet as a white-gold bindu; piśāca forms in muted browns transforming into bright yellows and reds; temple-wall aesthetic with ornamental creepers.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: river as a sacred band filled with lotus motifs and ornate floral borders; central miracle of transformation depicted in rhythmic repetition; deep indigo background with gold highlights, peacocks near the ghāṭa, devotional text-cartouche praising Revā."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"celebratory","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["flowing water","temple bells","conch shell","soft choral hum","riverbank birds"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: रेवाजलकणस्पर्शात् = रेवाजलकाṇस्पर्शात् (समास) ; पैशाच्यात्ते = पैशाच्यात् + ते; तत्क्षणाद्दिव्यवपुषः = तत्क्षणात् + दिव्यवपुषः; प्रशशंसुश्च = प्रशशंसुः + च
FAQs
It presents Narmadā as a purifying tīrtha whose water can immediately remove severe spiritual impurity (piśāca-condition) and restore a divine state.
The verse refers to previously afflicted beings (described as in a piśāca-state in the surrounding narrative) who are purified upon contact with a droplet of Revā’s water.
The implied lesson is reverence for sacred places and waters, and the idea that sincere contact with a sanctifying tīrtha can catalyze inner transformation leading to praise and gratitude.