Shloka 27
Ratnagrīva’s Pilgrimage and the Prescribed Procedure for Visiting Sacred Tīrthas
यानेन गच्छन्पुरुषः समभागफलं लभेत् । उपानद्भ्यां चतुर्थांशं गोयाने गोवधादिकम्
yānena gacchanpuruṣaḥ samabhāgaphalaṃ labhet | upānadbhyāṃ caturthāṃśaṃ goyāne govadhādikam
വാഹനത്തിൽ പോകുന്ന പുരുഷന് സമഭാഗ ഫലം ലഭിക്കും; പാദരക്ഷ ധരിച്ചു പോയാൽ ചതുർത്ഥാംശം മാത്രം; എന്നാൽ കാളവണ്ടിയിൽ പോയാൽ ഗോഹത്യാദി പാപദോഷം വരും.
Unspecified (narrative instruction within the chapter; speaker not given in the provided excerpt)
Concept: Pilgrimage merit is conditioned by means: convenience can dilute tapas; harm to beings (even indirectly) corrupts sacred intent.
Application: Choose ethical, low-harm ways of pursuing spiritual goals; avoid ‘ends justify means’ thinking; let devotion increase simplicity rather than entitlement.
Primary Rasa: dharma-shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A forked road shows three travelers: one walking barefoot with a staff, one riding in a decorated vehicle, and one approaching an ox-cart whose wheels press into the earth as the ox looks weary. Above, a subtle dharma-scale motif weighs their choices, while a faint shadowy stain hovers near the ox-cart path, hinting at the karmic cost of harm.","primary_figures":["three pilgrims (walker, vehicle rider, ox-cart traveler)","symbolic dharma-scale or śāstra scroll motif"],"setting":"roadside near a tīrtha route with milestone stones, sparse trees, distant temple spire; moral allegory composition","lighting_mood":"overcast with a moralizing chiaroscuro","color_palette":["muted brown","ash gray","saffron accent","indigo shadow","pale gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: triptych-like composition—left barefoot pilgrim with gold aura, center traveler in palanquin/vehicle with moderate gold, right ox-cart scene with subdued tones and a faint dark karmic cloud; ornate border, gold leaf used to highlight dharma symbols (scale, śāstra) and temple silhouette.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: narrative moral scene on a winding path, delicate expressions—serene walker, complacent rider, strained ox; cool palette with subtle symbolic shadow near the cart; refined landscape with small temple in distance.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and iconic figures in three panels; stylized ox-cart with emphasized eyes of the ox; dharma symbol above; red/yellow/green palette with darker tones around the cart to suggest doṣa.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: patterned road with repeating motifs; three pilgrim vignettes framed by floral borders; cows and peacocks as auspicious counterpoint, with the ox-cart vignette rendered in darker indigo-brown; gold highlights on dharma emblems and temple motifs."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["cartwheel creak","hoofbeats","wind gust","single temple bell strike","brief silence after warning phrase"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: gacchanpuruṣaḥ → gacchan + puruṣaḥ; samabhāgaphalam → sama-bhāga-phalam; caturthāṃśam → caturtha + aṃśam; goyāne → go-yāne; govadhādikam → go-vadha-ādikam.
FAQs
It contrasts the spiritual result of different modes of travel: travelling in a vehicle yields an equal share of merit, travelling with footwear yields only a quarter share, and travelling by an ox-cart is condemned as leading to grave demerit associated with harm to cattle.
The verse presents a strict ethical stance prioritizing protection of cattle; using cattle for transport is treated as implicating one in harm or exploitation, and is rhetorically equated with serious wrongdoing such as cow-killing and related sins.
They indicate proportional participation in the religious ‘fruit’ (phala) of a journey or act: a full/equal share when travelling by vehicle, and only one-quarter share when travelling with footwear.