Shloka 21
Puruṣottama-māhātmya
The Greatness of Puruṣottama Kṣetra
मनुष्याणां यथा राजा धेनूनां कामधुग्यथा । सुवर्णं सर्वधातूनां सर्पाणां वासुकिर्यथा ॥ २१ ॥
manuṣyāṇāṃ yathā rājā dhenūnāṃ kāmadhugyathā | suvarṇaṃ sarvadhātūnāṃ sarpāṇāṃ vāsukiryathā || 21 ||
മനുഷ്യരിൽ രാജാവ് പ്രധാനനായതുപോലെ, പശുക്കളിൽ കാമധേനു, ധാതുക്കളിൽ സ്വർണം, സർപ്പങ്ങളിൽ വാസുകി പ്രധാനനായതുപോലെ; അങ്ങനെ ഇതിനെ പരമമെന്നു പ്രഖ്യാപിക്കുന്നു।
Narada (within the Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue frame; Uttara-Bhaga narrative style)
Vrata: none
Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"shanta","secondary_rasa":"adbhuta","emotional_journey":"Measured praise intensifies through worldly and mythic superlatives (king, kāmadhenu, gold, Vāsuki), ending in a firm declaration of pre-eminence."}
FAQs
It uses well-known “best-of-its-kind” examples (king, Kāmadhenu, gold, Vāsuki) to mark something in the surrounding discourse as supreme—typical of tirtha-mahātmya passages that elevate a sacred place, vow, or object as uniquely efficacious for dharma and merit.
By training the mind to recognize and honor the highest (śreṣṭhatva), it supports bhakti’s core movement: choosing the supreme refuge and offering focused reverence rather than scattered attention—an attitude that culminates in single-pointed devotion to the Lord and His sacred supports (tirthas, vratas, kṣetras).
The verse primarily showcases alaṅkāra/nyāya-style comparison (upamā) used in śāstric exposition; it is not a technical Vedāṅga instruction (like vyākaraṇa or jyotiṣa), but it reflects the didactic method of establishing precedence through authoritative exemplars.