Shloka 174
Puṣkara Mahatmya: Brahmā’s Lotus-Tīrtha, Sacrifice, Initiation, and Kṣetra-Dharma
इष्टिर्धृतिः सोमपानां यज्ञीयं कर्म सर्वशः । ऋग्यजुःसामजाप्यानि संहिताध्ययनानि च
iṣṭirdhṛtiḥ somapānāṃ yajñīyaṃ karma sarvaśaḥ | ṛgyajuḥsāmajāpyāni saṃhitādhyayanāni ca
ソーマを飲む者たちの祭式と保持の修行、すなわち祭祀（yajña）に関わるあらゆる儀礼行為には、リグ・ヤジュル・サーマの諸ヴェーダの誦読、ジャパの反復、そしてサンヒターの学習が含まれる。
Unspecified (narrative context not provided in the input excerpt)
Concept: All yajña-related acts include iṣṭi, disciplines of soma-sacrificers, and especially Vedic recitation—Ṛg, Yajus, Sāman—along with japa and Saṃhitā study.
Application: Commit to daily sacred study/recitation (even brief), maintain accuracy and humility, and treat learning as worship rather than mere scholarship.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A soma-yajña unfolds with priests seated in precise formations, each chanting from palm-leaf manuscripts marked with Vedic accents, while a soma-pressing stone and wooden trough sit nearby. In the background, a quiet gurukula veranda shows students repeating saṃhitā lines in unison, their voices visualized as flowing ribbons of script rising into the sky.","primary_figures":["Vedic priests (hotṛ, adhvaryu, udgātṛ)","brahmacārin students","a presiding ācārya"],"setting":"A śrauta yajña-śālā with soma-press, vedi, kuśa, ladles; adjacent gurukula study space with palm-leaf texts.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["soma green","parchment beige","smoke blue","copper","sunlit gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: elaborate soma-yajña with three principal priests chanting, palm-leaf manuscripts, soma-pressing implements, and a radiant altar; gold leaf for sacred sound motifs and firelight, rich jewel-toned garments, ornate borders with Vedic symbols, detailed jewelry and ritual vessels.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: serene scholarly yajña scene with delicate linework, priests in calm postures, subtle smoke and mantra-script motifs, cool natural background, refined faces, careful depiction of manuscripts and instruments, gentle sunlight.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: iconic arrangement of priests with bold outlines, stylized manuscripts and soma tools, rhythmic repetition of forms, red-yellow-green palette with black contours, decorative border of lotus and conch, large expressive eyes.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: mandala-like arrangement of chanting priests around a central altar, script-ribbons forming floral patterns, deep blue ground with gold and white detailing, ornate borders and repeated motifs, symmetrical devotional geometry."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["layered Vedic chanting","soma pressing thud","fire crackle","rustle of palm leaves","long pauses of silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: इष्टिः + धृतिः → इष्टिर्धृतिः (विसर्ग-सन्धि); ऋक्-यजुः-साम-जाप्यानि → ऋग्यजुःसामजाप्यानि (समास/व्यञ्जन-सन्धि); संहिता-अध्ययनानि → संहिताध्ययनानि (आ-आ सन्धि)
FAQs
It groups sacrificial rites and observances with Vedic recitation (Ṛg/Yajur/Sāma), japa-style repetition, and the study of the Vedic Saṃhitās as integral components of yajña-related practice.
They are the qualified participants in Soma sacrifices—those who ritually partake of Soma in the context of Vedic yajña—used here as a representative class of performers of Soma-yāga.
It emphasizes disciplined, comprehensive sacred practice: ritual action is not isolated from scriptural learning and mantra-repetition; steadiness (dhṛti) and Vedic study are presented as supporting pillars of sacrificial life.