Shloka 1
The Greatness of Viṣṇu’s Foot-Water (Pādodaka) as a Destroyer of Sin
शौनक उवाच । विष्णुपादोदकस्यापि माहात्म्यं पापनाशनम् । कथयस्व महाप्राज्ञ समूलं मे कृपार्णव
śaunaka uvāca | viṣṇupādodakasyāpi māhātmyaṃ pāpanāśanam | kathayasva mahāprājña samūlaṃ me kṛpārṇava
Śaunaka said: “O great sage, tell me in full—O ocean of compassion—the sin-destroying greatness of the water that has washed Viṣṇu’s feet.”
Śaunaka
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: celestial_realm
Sandhi Resolution Notes: विष्णुपादोदकस्यापि = विष्णुपादोदकस्य + अपि
FAQs
It refers to sacred water associated with washing Viṣṇu’s feet—ritually revered as purifying and spiritually efficacious.
He asks the sage to explain fully (samūlam) the māhātmya—sacred greatness—of viṣṇupādodaka, specifically its power to destroy sin (pāpanāśanam).
It highlights reverence for sanctified substances connected with the divine and frames purification as grounded in devotion and sacred tradition rather than mere ritual formality.