Shloka 55
The Greatness of Puṣkara: Tripuṣkara Pilgrimage, Sacred Geography, and the Doctrine of Self-Restraint
तीर्थे गत्त्वा प्रदास्यामः पिंडान्वै श्राद्धपूर्वकं । तेषां पुत्रा धनं धान्यमविच्छिन्ना च संततिः
tīrthe gattvā pradāsyāmaḥ piṃḍānvai śrāddhapūrvakaṃ | teṣāṃ putrā dhanaṃ dhānyamavicchinnā ca saṃtatiḥ
തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ ചെന്നു ശ്രാദ്ധപൂർവ്വം പിണ്ഡങ്ങൾ ദാനം ചെയ്യും. അവർക്കു പുത്രന്മാർ, ധനം, ധാന്യം, കൂടാതെ മുറിയാത്ത സന്തതി ലഭിക്കും.
Unspecified (context-dependent within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa narrative; verse is in first-person plural ‘we’)
Concept: Pitṛ-tarpaṇa and śrāddha performed at a tīrtha sustain both the departed and the living through dharmic reciprocity.
Application: Perform annual śrāddha with sincerity; if travel to a tīrtha is possible, combine it with charity and remembrance of ancestors; cultivate gratitude to one’s lineage and responsibilities to descendants.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A pilgrim family arrives at a serene riverbank tīrtha at dawn, carrying kuśa grass, sesame, and a small vessel of water. On a flat stone altar they shape rice piṇḍas, offering them with folded hands while elders recite śrāddha mantras; behind them, a distant temple spire and banyan trees suggest timeless sanctity.","primary_figures":["pilgrim householder couple","family elders (pitṛ-representatives)","a guiding ṛtvik/priest"],"setting":"riverbank tīrtha with ghāṭa steps, banyan and aśvattha trees, small shrine, offering stones, brass lotā and darbha grass","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["saffron ochre","river-silver","banyan green","vermillion red","warm gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a sacred river-ghāṭa tīrtha at sunrise where a devout householder offers rice piṇḍas on a stone altar with śrāddha rites; ornate gold-leaf halo-like radiance around the small Viṣṇu shrine in the background, rich reds and greens, gem-studded ornaments on the priest, intricate floral borders, traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate pilgrims at a quiet tīrtha riverbank performing piṇḍa-dāna, soft dawn sky, slender trees and distant hills, refined facial features, lyrical naturalism, cool washes for water and warm accents for ritual items, fine linework on kuśa grass and vessels.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and natural pigments depicting a tīrtha ghāṭa with a small shrine, the householder offering piṇḍas with darbha in hand, stylized river waves, characteristic large eyes, red-yellow-green palette with controlled gold highlights.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a devotional tīrtha scene framed by lotus and tulasī motifs, ornate floral borders, deep indigo river with gold ripples, small Viṣṇu shrine centered, pilgrims offering piṇḍas in reverence; intricate patterning, Nathdwara-inspired decorative density."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["flowing water","temple bells","soft conch in distance","morning birds","ritual spoon clink"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पिंडान्वै → पिण्डान् + वै; श्राद्धपूर्वकं → श्राद्ध-पूर्वकम् (अव्ययीभाव); धान्यमविच्छिन्ना → धान्यम् + अविच्छिन्ना; संततिः (अनुस्वार-रूप) → संततिः/सन्ततिः
FAQs
It presents tīrtha-śrāddha with piṇḍa offerings as a meritorious act, promising prosperity and continuity of family lineage as its stated fruits.
By linking ancestral rites (śrāddha and piṇḍa-dāna) to tangible outcomes—children, wealth, and food-grain—it frames dharma as supportive of social stability and household prosperity.
The verse implies that honoring ancestors through prescribed rites sustains intergenerational responsibility, reinforcing gratitude, continuity, and the duty to maintain family and tradition.