Shloka 19
The Greatness of Prayāga: Fruits of Pilgrimage, Remembrance, and Cow-Gift
शुक्लांबरधरं शांतं धर्मज्ञं वेदपारगम् । सा गौस्तस्मै च दातव्या गंगायमुनसंगमे
śuklāṃbaradharaṃ śāṃtaṃ dharmajñaṃ vedapāragam | sā gaustasmai ca dātavyā gaṃgāyamunasaṃgame
Am Zusammenfluss von Gaṅgā und Yamunā soll jene Kuh jenem friedvollen Mann in weißen Gewändern geschenkt werden, der das Dharma kennt und die Veden gemeistert hat.
Not specified in the provided excerpt (contextual speaker identification requires surrounding verses).
Concept: Charity should be offered to a qualified, serene, dharma-knowing Veda-master; recipient purity is integral to the act’s sanctity.
Application: Seek mentors of integrity; support genuine learning and ethical leadership; cultivate inner ‘white garments’—clarity, restraint, and calm.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: dharma
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"At the river confluence, a serene Veda-master in spotless white sits upon a kusa mat, his face calm like still water. The donor leads a cow forward, and the saṅgama behind them glows with two interlacing currents, as if dharma itself is visibly meeting and merging.","primary_figures":["dharmajña vedapāraga brāhmaṇa (white-clad)","dvija donor","cow (gift)","river-deities suggested as subtle motifs"],"setting":"Kusa-mat altar on the ghat at the confluence; ritual vessels, white cloth bundles, and distant pilgrims.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["pure white","river jade","soft gold","ash-grey stone","lotus pink"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central white-clad brāhmaṇa with gold-leaf aura, seated on kusa; donor presenting cow; confluence rendered with stylized gold-highlighted waves; rich red-green frame, embossed ornaments on vessels, devotional symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: tranquil confluence scene with subtle watercolor gradients; white garments delicately shaded; gentle facial expressions; fine-line riverbank details, distant boats and trees, cool serene palette.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines; white-clad sage with characteristic large eyes; cow and donor in iconic poses; saṅgama shown as two colored streams meeting; warm pigment blocks with ritual clarity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: lotus borders and flowing creepers; central vignette of saṅgama with stylized lotuses; white-clad brāhmaṇa receiving cow; peacocks at corners, deep blue and gold accents, devotional textile ornamentation."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["flowing water","soft bell","silence between phrases","distant conch","wind over river"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शुक्लांबरधरं → शुक्ल + अम्बर + धरम्; गौस्तस्मै → गौः + तस्मै (विसर्ग-सन्धिः: ः + त = स्); गंगायमुनसंगमे → गङ्गा + यमुना + सङ्गमे (समास).
FAQs
It links the merit of dāna to both the place (the Gaṅgā–Yamunā confluence, a major tīrtha) and the recipient (peaceful, dharma-knowing, Veda-learned), emphasizing that context and worthiness shape the religious value of charity.
The confluence (saṅgama) is presented as a highly sanctifying pilgrimage setting where acts like go-dāna are especially efficacious, reflecting the Purāṇic theme that certain geographies amplify dharmic acts.
The verse teaches discernment: charity should be directed to a qualified person—one who is calm, virtuous, and learned—so that giving supports dharma and produces purifying results for the giver.