Shloka 17
Procedure of Ācamana and Rules of Ritual Purity (Śauca)
अंतरांगुष्ठदेशिन्यैः पितॄणां तीर्थमुच्यते । कनिष्ठामूलतः पश्चात्प्राजापत्यं प्रचक्षते
aṃtarāṃguṣṭhadeśinyaiḥ pitṝṇāṃ tīrthamucyate | kaniṣṭhāmūlataḥ paścātprājāpatyaṃ pracakṣate
अंगूठे और तर्जनी के बीच का प्रदेश पितरों का तीर्थ कहा गया है। और पीछे, कनिष्ठा (छोटी उँगली) के मूल के पास प्राजापत्य तीर्थ बताया गया है।
Unspecified (contextual narrator/instructor within Svargakhaṇḍa’s discourse on ritual hand-positions and tīrthas)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: tirtha
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अंतरांगुष्ठदेशिन्यैः = अन्तर + अङ्गुष्ठ + देशिन्यैः; तीर्थमुच्यते = तीर्थम् + उच्यते; कनिष्ठामूलतः = कनिष्ठा-मूल-तः; पश्चात्प्राजापत्यं = पश्चात् + प्राजापत्यं
FAQs
It maps specific sacred ‘tīrtha’ points on the hand used during offerings (like tarpaṇa/śrāddha): one spot is assigned to the Pitṛs, and another is designated as the Prājāpatya tīrtha.
The Pitṛs are ancestral beings/forefathers. In Dharma and Purāṇic ritual culture, offerings to the Pitṛs (tarpaṇa, śrāddha) are central duties that maintain lineage continuity and repay ancestral obligations.
It emphasizes precision and reverence in ritual duty: even small bodily actions (like where water is offered from the hand) are treated as meaningful when performing obligations to ancestors and cosmic order (Prajāpati).