Shloka 16
Invocation and the Naimiṣa Assembly: Sūta’s Arrival and the Request to Recount the Padma Purāṇa
तीर्थानां पुण्यदातॄणां नामानि किल कीर्तय । कुत एतत्समुत्पन्नं केन वा परिपाल्यते
tīrthānāṃ puṇyadātṝṇāṃ nāmāni kila kīrtaya | kuta etatsamutpannaṃ kena vā paripālyate
どうか功徳（プンニャ）を授ける聖なるティールタの名をお唱えください。これはいかにして起こり、また誰によって守り保たれているのですか。
Unspecified interlocutor (questioner) addressing a narrator/teacher
Concept: Sacred places are merit-bestowing; their authority rests on origin (utpatti) and ongoing guardianship (paripālana) within dharma.
Application: Learn the ‘why’ behind rituals and pilgrimages: study the origin stories of sacred places, support their upkeep (dāna/sevā), and treat pilgrimage as ethical practice (non-harm, truthfulness, charity).
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A respectful questioner kneels before a venerable teacher, holding a garland and water-pot, asking for the names and origins of merit-giving tīrthas. Behind them unfurls a visionary map-scroll: rivers, ghāṭas, forests, and temples appear as glowing icons, as if the Purāṇa itself is turning into geography.","primary_figures":["questioner devotee","revered teacher/narrator","attendant sages"],"setting":"Hermitage classroom with a symbolic ‘cosmic map’ of India’s sacred landscape appearing in the air","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["parchment tan","river turquoise","sunrise gold","saffron","deep maroon"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: teacher seated on a carved throne-like āsana with gold-leaf halo, devotee kneeling with kamaṇḍalu, behind them a stylized sacred-map mandala of tīrthas rendered with gold outlines, rich reds/greens, embossed gold on temple spires and river curves, ornate borders with conch and lotus.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate guru-śiṣya scene under a tree, delicate scroll showing tiny painted rivers and shrines, soft dawn sky, refined facial expressions of inquiry and compassion, cool greens and gentle ochres, fine detailing of manuscripts and water-pot.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: frontal teacher figure with large eyes, devotee in profile, stylized river bands and temple icons in the background, bold outlines and flat pigments, rhythmic decorative borders of lotus and creepers.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a central seated narrator framed by floral borders, surrounding medallions each depicting a different tīrtha icon (ghāṭa, kuṇḍa, temple), lotuses and peacocks in corners, deep blues and gold accents, devotional symmetry."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["page-turning palm leaves","soft river ambience","birds at dawn","single bell punctuations"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: एतत्समुत्पन्नम् = एतत् + समुत्पन्नम्.
FAQs
It requests an enumeration of tīrthas by name—implying an organized sacred geography—and treats them as recognized sources of puṇya (religious merit).
By asking both their names and their origin/guardianship, it frames tīrthas as an institution with lineage: they have a source (samutpatti) and a sustaining authority or practice (paripālana).
It encourages disciplined inquiry into dharma: not only visiting sacred places, but understanding their provenance and the responsibility of preserving sacred traditions.