Shloka 126
Account of Various Sacred Tīrthas
Pilgrimage Merits and Prayāga Supremacy
मयोक्तामृषयः सर्वे तीर्थयात्राश्रयां कथाम् । यः पठेच्छृणुयाद्वापि स मुक्तः सर्वपातकैः
mayoktāmṛṣayaḥ sarve tīrthayātrāśrayāṃ kathām | yaḥ paṭhecchṛṇuyādvāpi sa muktaḥ sarvapātakaiḥ
Wahai para resi, siapa pun yang membaca atau bahkan mendengarkan kisah yang kuucapkan ini—yang berpusat pada ziarah ke tīrtha-tīrtha suci—akan terbebas dari segala dosa.
Unspecified narrator (context-dependent within Svarga-khaṇḍa’s dialogue frame)
Concept: Śravaṇa and pāṭha of tīrtha-centered kathā purify all pāpa; sacred narrative functions as a spiritual crossing-place.
Application: If travel is impossible, regularly hear/read Purāṇic tīrtha and bhakti narratives with faith and attentiveness; pair it with simple acts of charity and restraint.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A circle of sages sits in a forest hermitage as the narrator’s words rise like a luminous stream, transforming into a symbolic river of light that washes away dark stains representing sins. Scrolls and palm-leaf manuscripts glow, suggesting that the kathā itself is a tīrtha one can enter through hearing.","primary_figures":["Narrator-sage (implied)","Assembly of ṛṣis","Symbolic personifications of pāpa dissolving (abstract)"],"setting":"Forest āśrama with a small fire altar, manuscripts on a low wooden stand, and a distant glimpse of a river—mirroring the inner river of kathā.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["manuscript ochre","river-light silver","sandalwood brown","aura gold","deep indigo (sins dissolving)"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: sages seated around a manuscript stand, central glowing palm-leaf text emitting gold-leaf rays that form a river-like arc; stylized dark forms (pāpa) dissolving at the edge; ornate borders with lotuses and conch motifs, rich reds/greens, heavy gold embellishment on halos and text aura.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate satsang under trees with delicate leaves; a soft luminous ribbon rises from the manuscript and flows like a river through the scene; subtle symbolic dark washes fading; cool natural palette with refined faces and gentle gestures of listening.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, rhythmic composition; manuscript and narrator at center, radiating circular aura; pāpa shown as stylized dark motifs breaking apart; warm reds/yellows/greens with temple-mural border patterns.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: satsang framed by lotus borders; the kathā-river depicted as a decorative flowing band of white and gold across deep blue cloth; peacocks and floral filigree; sacred text at center like a shrine, intricate patterning emphasizing śravaṇa as worship."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["silence between verses","rustling leaves","soft water flow (symbolic)","temple bell (single, occasional)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: मयोक्तामृषयः → मया + उक्ताम् + ऋषयः; पठेच्छृणुयाद्वापि → पठेत् + शृणुयात् + वा + अपि (त् + श् → च्छ् सन्धि); सर्वपातकैः treated as instrumental expressing separation (ablatival sense).
FAQs
It praises engagement with the tīrtha-yātrā narrative itself: reading (pāṭha) or hearing (śravaṇa) the account is said to confer sin-destroying merit, even apart from physically traveling.
By emphasizing śravaṇa (hearing) and pāṭha (recitation/reading) as spiritually transformative, it aligns with Bhakti and Purāṇic devotion where sacred listening is treated as a direct means to purification.
The verse teaches that sincere contact with sacred teaching—through attentive listening or reading—purifies conduct and intention, encouraging regular study and reverent reception of dharmic narratives.