Shloka 24
The Greatness of Śukla Tīrtha: Bathing, Fasting, Charity, and Śiva Worship
कार्तिकस्य च मासस्य कृष्णपक्षे चतुर्दशी । घृतेन स्नापयेद्देवमुपोष्य परमेश्वरम्
kārtikasya ca māsasya kṛṣṇapakṣe caturdaśī | ghṛtena snāpayeddevamupoṣya parameśvaram
કાર્તિક માસના કૃષ્ણપક્ષની ચતુર્દશીએ ઉપવાસ કરીને પરમેશ્વર દેવને ઘીથી સ્નાન (અભિષેક) કરાવવો જોઈએ।
Unspecified (context-dependent within Svarga-khaṇḍa narrative dialogue)
Concept: Kārtika’s dark-fortnight caturdaśī, joined with fasting and ghee-abhiṣeka, is a precise devotional technology for pleasing the Supreme Lord.
Application: Observe a disciplined fast (as capacity allows), perform abhiṣeka with purity of mind, and conclude with feeding devotees/poor; keep speech gentle and avoid harm on vrata days.
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Type: temple
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"On Kārtika’s dark caturdaśī night, a devotee who has fasted stands before a sanctum where the Supreme Lord’s icon gleams. Warm ghee streams in a slow abhiṣeka over the deity, catching lamplight like molten gold, while priests hold conch and lamps and the air is thick with incense and mantra.","primary_figures":["Vishnu (as Parameśvara icon)","fasting devotee","temple priest"],"setting":"inner temple sanctum with stone pillars, brass lamps, conch, vessels of ghee, garlands and tulasi-like greenery as general decor (even if not explicit)","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["molten gold","deep maroon","smoke gray","emerald green","midnight blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Kārtika caturdaśī abhiṣeka scene—Vishnu icon under an ornate arch, thick ghee pouring in luminous streams, gold leaf heavily used on the deity’s halo and the ghee highlights, rich reds/greens in drapery, gem-studded ornaments, priests with conch and ārati lamp, devotional symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate sanctum interior with delicate brushwork, soft lamp glow reflecting on ghee, refined faces of priest and devotee, cool midnight blues outside the temple doorway, lyrical incense curls, subtle detailing of vessels and garlands.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized Vishnu with characteristic eyes, ghee rendered as thick golden bands, lamps and pillars simplified into rhythmic forms, natural pigment palette with strong reds/yellows/greens, temple-wall aesthetic.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central deity receiving abhiṣeka framed by lotus borders, multiple lamps and floral motifs, deep blue background with gold accents, intricate patterns on cloth and vessels, celebratory yet reverent Kārtika ambiance."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["conch shell","temple bells","mantra drone","ghee pouring","incense crackle"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: snāpayeddevam → snāpayet devam; devamupoṣya → devam upoṣya.
FAQs
It prescribes fasting (upoṣya) and performing an abhiṣeka—ritually bathing the Lord—specifically with ghee on Kārtika kṛṣṇa-pakṣa caturdaśī.
“Parameśvara” literally means “the Supreme Lord.” In Purāṇic usage it can denote Śiva or the supreme form of God depending on the surrounding chapter’s theological framing; the verse itself does not specify beyond “the Supreme Lord.”
It emphasizes disciplined devotion: self-restraint through fasting and reverent worship through ritual bathing, presenting devotion as both inner austerity and outward sacred action.