Shloka 19
The Determination of the Extent of the Sacred Field and Related Matters
Kurukṣetra Māhātmya
सरः संनिहितं प्लाव्यं पश्चिमां प्रस्थितां दिशम् । कुरुणा तु ततः कृष्टं यावत्क्षेत्रं समंततः ॥ १९ ॥
saraḥ saṃnihitaṃ plāvyaṃ paścimāṃ prasthitāṃ diśam | kuruṇā tu tataḥ kṛṣṭaṃ yāvatkṣetraṃ samaṃtataḥ || 19 ||
Having filled and overflowed the nearby lake, the stream flowed forth toward the western quarter. Then the Kurus ploughed and cultivated the land all around, as far as the whole field extended.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in the Uttara-Bhaga tirtha narration style)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It frames a kṣetra (sacred field) as a sanctified landscape shaped by water (sarḥ) and righteous human action (cultivation by the Kurus), implying that holy places are sustained by both natural purity and dharmic stewardship.
Indirectly: by presenting the kṣetra as a prepared, ordered sacred space, it supports the bhakti framework where pilgrimage, tīrtha-sevā, and worship become effective when performed in a consecrated and well-maintained environment.
It most closely aligns with Kalpa (ritual procedure) and kṣetra-samskāra notions—how a site is prepared/maintained for religious activity—rather than grammar or astrology; the verse emphasizes orderly land preparation around a sacred water source.