Shloka 56
Vrata–Dāna Compendium at Puṣkara: Puṣpavāhana’s Account and the Ṣaṣṭhī-vrata Purification Rite
चातुर्मास्ये निवृत्ते तु घटं सर्पिर्गुडान्वितम् । कार्तिक्यां तत्पुनर्हैमं ब्राह्मणाय निवेदयेत्
cāturmāsye nivṛtte tu ghaṭaṃ sarpirguḍānvitam | kārtikyāṃ tatpunarhaimaṃ brāhmaṇāya nivedayet
ചാതുർമാസ്യ വ്രതം അവസാനിച്ചാൽ നെയ്യും ശർക്കരയും ചേർന്ന ഒരു ഘടം ബ്രാഹ്മണന് സമർപ്പിക്കണം. പിന്നെ കാർത്തിക മാസത്തിൽ വീണ്ടും സ്വർണപാത്രം (അഥവാ സ്വർണം) ബ്രാഹ്മണന് നിവേദിക്കണം।
Unspecified (instructional narrative voice within the chapter context)
Concept: A vrata is sealed and fructified through dāna: concluding Cāturmāsya with sweet, nourishing gifts and renewing generosity in Kārtika.
Application: Mark the completion of any discipline with a concrete act of giving—food, essentials, or charity—done respectfully and without display.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"At the close of the rainy-season observance, a devotee carries a clay pot brimming with golden ghee swirled with dark jaggery, approaching a seated brāhmaṇa beneath a canopy of mango leaves. A second vignette shows Kārtika’s crisp air: the same devotee offers a small golden vessel that catches lamplight like a captured sun.","primary_figures":["vratī (donor)","brāhmaṇa recipient","attendants holding lamps (optional)"],"setting":"village temple courtyard transitioning from monsoon dampness to Kārtika’s clear evening; ritual platform with kusa grass and lamps","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["ghee gold","jaggery brown","clay terracotta","lamp-flame amber","deep indigo"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: temple courtyard with ornate pillars, donor presenting a terracotta pot filled with ghee and jaggery to a brāhmaṇa; second panel-like element showing a gleaming golden vessel offered in Kārtika; lavish gold leaf on vessels and jewelry, rich crimson-green garments, embossed halos around sacred figures, intricate floral borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: two-scene narrative composition—monsoon-end offering of a clay pot, then Kārtika offering of a golden vessel; delicate faces, refined hands, subtle rain-washed greens shifting to cool autumnal blues; fine architectural details and gentle lamp glow.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized donor and brāhmaṇa with bold outlines, prominent eyes, ritual pot rendered with thick gold-yellow pigment, lamps and banana-leaf canopy; flat temple-wall composition with red/yellow/green dominance and rhythmic ornamentation.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Kārtika lamp festival ambiance with rows of diyas, lotus borders, donor offering a golden vessel; cows and peacocks at the margins, intricate floral filigree, deep blue ground with gold highlights and terracotta accents for the pot."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["temple bells","clay pot clink","oil lamps crackle","soft conch shell"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सर्पिर्गुडान्वितम् = सर्पिः + गुडान्वितम्; तत्पुनर्हैमम् = तत् + पुनः + हैमम्.
FAQs
It prescribes dāna (charitable gifting) connected to observances: after completing Cāturmāsya, gifting a pot of ghee mixed with jaggery; and in Kārtika, gifting a golden item (understood as a golden vessel or gold donation) to a brāhmaṇa.
It frames devotion as disciplined practice: vows (vrata) are completed with acts of generosity, directing one’s resources toward dharma through respectful offerings to learned custodians (brāhmaṇas).
Completion of spiritual observances should culminate in giving—sharing wealth in a sanctified way—linking personal austerity with social and religious responsibility.