Shloka 17
The Greatness of Prayāga
Merits of Māgha Rites and Northern River Fords
भुक्त्वा तु विपुलान्भोगांस्तत्तीर्थं भजते नरः । यस्तु देहं विकर्तित्वा शकुनिभ्यः प्रयच्छति
bhuktvā tu vipulānbhogāṃstattīrthaṃ bhajate naraḥ | yastu dehaṃ vikartitvā śakunibhyaḥ prayacchati
Doch nachdem er reichliche Genüsse ausgekostet hat, nimmt der Mensch Zuflucht zu jener heiligen Furt (tīrtha). Und wer, den eigenen Leib zerschneidend, ihn den Vögeln —Geiern und dergleichen— darbringt …
Unspecified (contextual narrator within the Adhyaya; likely within a Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue frame typical of sections of the Padma Purāṇa, but not inferable from this single verse alone).
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Sandhi Resolution Notes: vipulānbhogāṃstattīrthaṃ→vipulān bhogān tat-tīrtham; yastu→yaḥ tu; vikartitvā śakunibhyaḥ (no sandhi change); root of vikartitvā from vi-√kart/√kṛt ‘to cut’.
FAQs
It portrays the tīrtha as a powerful recourse even for those who have lived a life of worldly enjoyment—implying that sacred places are seen as capable of redirecting or purifying one’s trajectory through contact, worship, or ritual engagement.
The imagery points to extreme acts of self-sacrifice or austerity sometimes praised in Purāṇic literature; here it functions as a marker of extraordinary giving/renunciation, likely within a broader passage comparing different acts and their spiritual outcomes.
Even amid worldly life, one is urged toward higher aims—turning to sacred practice (tīrtha-sevā) and selflessness; the verse contrasts indulgence with acts that signal renunciation and merit-making.