Shloka 89
Viśokā Dvādaśī Vow, Guḍa-Dhenū (Jaggery-Cow) Gift, and Śaila-Dāna (Mountain-Charity) Rites
धान्यशैलादयो देयाः कार्तिक्यां ज्येष्ठपुष्करे । तीर्थेष्वायतने वापि गोष्ठे वा भवनांगणे
dhānyaśailādayo deyāḥ kārtikyāṃ jyeṣṭhapuṣkare | tīrtheṣvāyatane vāpi goṣṭhe vā bhavanāṃgaṇe
Des monceaux de grains et autres dons semblables doivent être offerts au mois de Kārtika, à Jyeṣṭha-Puṣkara—dans les tīrtha sacrés, dans l’enceinte du temple, dans l’étable des vaches ou dans sa propre cour.
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context-dependent within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa 21)
Concept: Dāna in Kārtika, offered in sanctified spaces (tīrtha/temple/goshṭha/home), becomes a portable form of pilgrimage and purifies both giver and place.
Application: Set aside a Kārtika charity budget (grain/food staples), donate at a temple or to cow-shelters/food kitchens, and sanctify the home by giving from one’s own courtyard with a prayer to Viṣṇu.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A Kārtika morning at Puṣkara: pilgrims carry baskets of grain toward a small shrine courtyard while a cow-shed nearby shelters gentle cows garlanded with marigolds. A householder offers a heap of grain with folded hands, as temple lamps flicker and the tīrtha atmosphere makes ordinary charity feel like a cosmic rite.","primary_figures":["Vaiṣṇava householder donor","brāhmaṇa recipient","temple priest","cows (go-mātā)","pilgrims at Puṣkara"],"setting":"Puṣkara tīrtha precinct blending temple steps, a modest gośālā, and a domestic courtyard space with rangoli and grain baskets","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["saffron orange","marigold yellow","sandalwood beige","emerald green","vermillion red"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Kārtika dāna at Puṣkara—central donor couple offering a shining heap of grain before a small Viṣṇu shrine, cows at the side with ornate harnesses; heavy gold-leaf halos on deity icons, rich crimson and emerald textiles, gem-studded ornaments, temple pillars and lamps rendered with embossed gold.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a lyrical Puṣkara courtyard scene with delicate figures carrying grain baskets, soft morning haze over ghats, cows resting under a neem tree; cool pastel palette with refined facial features, intricate textile patterns, and distant Aravalli hills.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized temple courtyard with bold black outlines; donor offering grain near a lamp-lit sanctum, cows depicted with rhythmic curves; natural pigment reds/yellows/greens, large expressive eyes, and ornamental borders of lotus and conch motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Kārtika charity tableau framed by lotus and tulasi borders; a small Viṣṇu/Śālagrāma altar at center, cows and peacocks around, devotees offering grain heaps; deep indigo background with gold detailing and floral filigree in Nathdwara tradition."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["temple bells","soft conch shell","murmured mantras","cow bells","distant pilgrim footsteps"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: धान्यशैलादयो→धान्यशैलादयः; तीर्थेष्वायतने→तीर्थेषु आयतने; वापि→वा अपि; भवनांगणे→भवनाङ्गणे.
FAQs
It states that gifts like heaps of grain may be given not only at tīrthas and temples, but also in a cowshed or even at one’s own home courtyard—broadening the acceptable sacred venues for dāna.
Kārtika is frequently treated as a highly meritorious month for religious observances and gifts, while Puṣkara is a famed tīrtha; the verse links auspicious time (Kārtika) with a renowned sacred place (Jyeṣṭha-Puṣkara) to intensify the merit of charity.
The verse promotes practical generosity: one should give essential sustenance (grain and similar necessities) and not postpone charity for lack of an “ideal” location, since multiple venues are affirmed as suitable.