Shloka 99
Account of Various Sacred Tīrthas
Pilgrimage Merits and Prayāga Supremacy
महीं विजयते राजा वैश्यो धनमवाप्नुयात् । शूद्रो यातीप्सितान्कामान्ब्राह्मणः पारगः पठन्
mahīṃ vijayate rājā vaiśyo dhanamavāpnuyāt | śūdro yātīpsitānkāmānbrāhmaṇaḥ pāragaḥ paṭhan
Durch das Rezitieren hiervon erobert der König die Erde; der Vaiśya erlangt Reichtum; der Śūdra erreicht die ersehnten Genüsse; und der Brāhmaṇa wird durch die Rezitation zu einem, der hinübergelangt ist.
Unspecified (verse appears as a phalaśruti—benefit statement—within the chapter’s narration)
Concept: Sacred recitation yields role-appropriate fruits, culminating in ‘pāragatva’—crossing beyond saṃsāra—especially for the disciplined reciter.
Application: Adopt a daily recitation practice (even brief) with ethical conduct; align desires with dharma, and gradually shift from artha/kāma to mokṣa-oriented listening.
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Four listeners sit in a temple courtyard: a crowned king with a map-scroll, a merchant with scales, a laborer with simple cloth, and a serene brāhmaṇa with prayer beads. As the recitation rises, symbolic visions appear above each—earth subdued under a dharmic banner, overflowing coins, a garland of fulfilled wishes, and a radiant bridge across an ocean of rebirth.","primary_figures":["king (rājā)","vaiśya merchant","śūdra devotee","brāhmaṇa reciter","temple priest (optional)"],"setting":"Temple mandapa with a small Viṣṇu altar, oil lamps, and a gathering for kathā.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["deep indigo","lamp-flame amber","ivory","emerald green","crimson"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: four social archetypes seated before a Viṣṇu altar, each receiving a distinct boon-symbol in the air; lavish gold leaf on crowns, halos, and temple pillars; rich reds/greens, jeweled ornaments, symmetrical composition with ornate arch and floral borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate courtyard kathā scene with refined faces, soft textiles, subtle boon-symbols painted like translucent clouds; cool palette with delicate linework, distant hills and a small shrine, lyrical calm.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized figures of king, merchant, devotee, and brāhmaṇa in a mandapa, boon-symbols as iconographic emblems above; bold outlines, flat yet vibrant pigments, temple-wall framing bands and lotus medallions.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central Viṣṇu shrine with devotees of varied roles seated in devotion, ornate borders of lotuses and creepers, peacocks near lamp stands, deep blue ground with gold highlights, symbolic boon motifs integrated into floral patterns."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["hand cymbals (tāla)","temple bells","murmured responses of listeners","oil-lamp crackle (suggested)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: धनमवाप्नुयात् = धनम् + अवाप्नुयात्; यातीप्सितान्कामान् = याति + ईप्सितान् + कामान्; कामान्ब्राह्मणः = कामान् + ब्राह्मणः.
FAQs
It functions as a phalaśruti, promising specific worldly and spiritual outcomes to different social roles through the act of recitation (pāṭha).
Pāragaḥ literally means “one who has crossed to the far shore,” implying mastery of the teaching and/or spiritual attainment—often read as liberation-oriented success.
It includes both: political success and wealth for some, fulfillment of desires for others, and a transcendent attainment (pāragaḥ) for the Brāhmaṇa—typical of Purāṇic benefit-statements.