Shloka 39
The Glory of Śrāddha at Sacred Fords and the Determination of the Kutapa Time
श्रीपर्णा च नदी पुण्या व्यासतीर्थमनुत्तमम् । तथा मत्स्यनदी कारा शिवधारा तथैव च
śrīparṇā ca nadī puṇyā vyāsatīrthamanuttamam | tathā matsyanadī kārā śivadhārā tathaiva ca
അതുപോലെ പുണ്യമായ ശ്രീപർണാ നദി, അനുത്തമമായ വ്യാസതീർത്ഥം; അതുപോലെ മത്സ്യനദി, കാരാ, ശിവധാരയും (പവിത്രം).
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context needed from surrounding verses in Adhyaya 11).
Concept: Sacred rivers and sage-linked fords are living conduits of purification; the land itself becomes a scripture to be traversed with faith.
Application: When traveling, treat rivers/ghats as spaces for restraint, charity, and remembrance; support tīrtha ecology (clean water, respectful conduct) as part of dharma.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A panoramic sacred map unfolds along a winding river system: each named river is personified as a graceful goddess rising from the waters, while a stone ford marked ‘Vyāsa-tīrtha’ bears a small hermitage and palm-leaf manuscripts. Pilgrims cross, bathe, and offer lamps, as the landscape itself seems to chant.","primary_figures":["river goddesses (Śrīparṇā, Matsya, Kārā, Śiva-dhārā)","sage Vyāsa (as a visionary presence)","pilgrims and ascetics"],"setting":"Interlinked riverbanks, ghats, and a forest hermitage with manuscript stands and sacrificial fire; waymarkers naming tīrthas.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["turquoise water","leaf green","sandstone beige","vermillion","moon-white"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: four river goddesses emerging from stylized waves with gold leaf highlights; central Vyāsa-tīrtha shown as a jeweled ghat with a small shrine and manuscript pedestal; pilgrims with lamps and offerings; ornate borders, rich reds/greens, embossed gold on water ripples and jewelry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: serpentine rivers through gentle hills; delicate personifications of rivers with translucent veils; a quiet Vyāsa hermitage with a seated sage and palm-leaf manuscripts; soft atmospheric perspective, cool blues and greens, fine facial detailing and lyrical naturalism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined river deities with characteristic large eyes; patterned wave motifs; Vyāsa-tīrtha rendered as a clear iconographic ghat with a small fire altar; warm earthy pigments, symmetrical composition, temple-wall aesthetic.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central river lotus-mandala with four river-deity medallions labeled in Devanagari; Vyāsa-tīrtha as a shrine-like centerpiece; intricate floral borders, peacocks, deep indigo background with gold and white detailing, devotional cartographic feel."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["flowing water","rustling leaves","distant temple bells","footsteps on stone ghats","soft drone (tanpura)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: व्यासतीर्थमनुत्तमम् = व्यासतीर्थम् + अनुत्तमम्। तथैव = तथा + एव।
FAQs
It preserves a catalog-style remembrance of multiple named rivers and a tīrtha (Vyāsa-tīrtha), reflecting how the Padma Purāṇa maps sanctity onto specific waterways and pilgrimage fords across the landscape.
Indirectly: by highlighting tīrthas and sacred rivers, it supports devotional practice through pilgrimage, remembrance, and association with holy places—common aids to bhakti in Purāṇic religion.
Even without an explicit moral statement in this single verse, the implied lesson is to honor and protect sacred natural sites (rivers and tīrthas) and to cultivate merit through respectful engagement with them.