Shloka 172
Brahmā’s Puṣkara Sacrifice and the Manifestation of Sarasvatī
with Tīrtha-Merit Teachings
मान लाभश्च भविता तव देवानुभावतः । नीत्वा क्षारोदमध्ये तु क्षिपस्व ज्वलनं सुते
māna lābhaśca bhavitā tava devānubhāvataḥ | nītvā kṣārodamadhye tu kṣipasva jvalanaṃ sute
ദേവാനുഭാവത്താൽ നിനക്ക് മാനവും ലാഭവും ഉണ്ടാകും; മകളേ, അഗ്നിയെ എടുത്ത് ക്ഷാരസമുദ്രത്തിന്റെ നടുവിലേക്ക് എറിഞ്ഞിടുക।
Unspecified (context needed from surrounding verses to identify the dialogue pair)
Concept: Right action, performed under divine guidance, converts grief into purposeful duty and restores cosmic balance.
Application: When instructed by legitimate authority (mentor, scripture, conscience), act decisively; channel emotion into a concrete, beneficial step.
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A determined young girl carries a blazing sacred fire in a vessel, walking toward a vast, churning salt ocean whose waves glitter like crystals. At the horizon, the sky bends into mythic scale, and unseen divine forces seem to guide her step as she prepares to cast the fire into the sea.","primary_figures":["the young girl (bālā)","attendant devas (suggested, faint in the sky)"],"setting":"Shore of the Kṣāroda—white salt-foam waves, expansive cosmic seascape, ritual vessel in the foreground.","lighting_mood":"dramatic twilight","color_palette":["salt white","flame orange","storm indigo","silver","ashen gray"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: the girl holding a ritual fire-vessel at the edge of a stylized salt ocean; gold leaf used for flame and wave highlights, ornate borders, rich textile patterns on her garments, divine aura motifs in the sky, dramatic yet iconographic composition.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: lyrical seashore scene with crystalline foam, the girl in profile carrying a small blazing fire; cool indigo sea and sky, delicate flame detailing, gentle gradients, refined figure proportions, minimal divine silhouettes above.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined ocean waves patterned like scallops, bright stylized flame in a vessel, the girl poised to throw; earthy pigments with strong contrasts, narrative clarity, decorative borders and lotus motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic composition—salt ocean rendered as repeating white wave motifs on deep blue cloth, central figure of the girl with flame, ornate floral borders, gold accents on flame and wave crests, symmetrical devotional textile aesthetic."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["roaring waves","crackling fire","conch shell","wind gusts"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: लाभश्च = लाभः + च; देवानुभावतः = देवानाम् अनुभावात् (समास/विभक्ति-लोप); क्षारोदमध्ये = क्षारोद + मध्ये; (क्षारोद = क्षार + उद).
FAQs
This single verse addresses someone as “sute” (“child/son”), but the speaker and addressee cannot be determined reliably without the preceding and following verses of Adhyaya 18.
Kṣāroda literally means “salt-water,” commonly used for the salt ocean in Purāṇic cosmography. Here it functions as a specific sacred/cosmic location into which the fire is to be cast.
It frames success (honor and gain) as dependent on divine sanction and emphasizes disciplined obedience to a higher instruction, even when the commanded act (casting fire into the ocean) seems extraordinary.