Shloka 59
Vrata–Dāna Compendium at Puṣkara: Puṣpavāhana’s Account and the Ṣaṣṭhī-vrata Purification Rite
दत्वा परं पदं याति सौम्यव्रतमिदं स्मृतम् । फाल्गुनादि तृतीयायां लवणं यस्तु वर्जयेत्
datvā paraṃ padaṃ yāti saumyavratamidaṃ smṛtam | phālgunādi tṛtīyāyāṃ lavaṇaṃ yastu varjayet
ഈ വ്രതം അനുഷ്ഠിച്ചാൽ പരമപദം പ്രാപിക്കും; ഇതിനെ ‘സൗമ്യവ്രതം’ എന്നു സ്മരിക്കുന്നു. ഫാൽഗുണമാസം മുതലായ തൃതീയ തിഥിയിൽ ആരെങ്കിലും ലവണത്തെ വർജിച്ചാൽ അവൻ ഈ വ്രതം ആചരിക്കുന്നു.
Unspecified (narratorial/teaching voice within the chapter context)
Concept: A ‘gentle’ vow—salt-abstinence on a specified tithi—can culminate in the supreme state, teaching that small, sattvic restraints oriented to dharma have disproportionate spiritual power.
Application: Practice ‘saumya tapas’: choose a mild but consistent restraint (e.g., reduce salt, stimulants, or harsh speech) on a regular sacred day, and pair it with prayer and charity.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"On a bright Phālguna tṛtīyā, a devotee sits before a simple lamp and water pot, eating plain, unsalted food set on a leaf plate—an image of gentle discipline. Behind the devotee, a translucent vision opens like a doorway of light, hinting at the ‘supreme state’ reached through quiet, consistent vows.","primary_figures":["devotee (vratī)","Vishnu as a distant luminous presence (optional, symbolic)"],"setting":"clean household shrine corner or āśrama cell; leaf-plate meal, small lamp, prayer beads","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["pale turmeric","conch white","soft gold","sky blue","leaf green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: devotee before a small shrine, offering a simple unsalted meal as restraint, with a radiant golden portal suggesting paramam padam; heavy gold leaf for the portal and lamp glow, rich maroon-green textiles, ornate borders, Vishnu’s symbols subtly embossed.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate indoor shrine scene with delicate lines, the devotee’s calm face, plain food on a leaf plate, soft dawn light; a faint luminous doorway in the background indicating the supreme state, cool blues and gentle greens with warm gold accents.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized devotee seated with leaf-plate, lamp and water pot, bold outlines and natural pigments; a large circular aureole-like gateway behind, rendered in yellow-gold and conch-white, temple-wall symmetry and patterned borders.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central devotional vignette with lotus borders, the devotee’s saumya vrata meal depicted simply, a Vaikuṇṭha-like luminous arch in the background; deep blue cloth ground with gold filigree, floral vines, and subtle Vishnu emblems."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft silence","single bell strike","gentle water pour","distant conch shell"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सौम्यव्रतमिदम् = सौम्यव्रतम् + इदम् (म् + इ → मि); फाल्गुनादि (समास/समुच्चयार्थ) ‘Phālguna-ādi’; यस्तु = यः + तु (विसर्ग-लोप)।
FAQs
It prescribes observing the Saumya-vrata by avoiding salt on the third lunar day (tṛtīyā), beginning with the month of Phālguna.
The verse states that one attains the “supreme state/abode” (paraṃ padam), indicating a spiritually elevated goal rather than merely worldly benefit.
It emphasizes self-restraint in diet as a form of disciplined devotion and dharmic observance, linking small acts of control (like giving up salt) to higher spiritual attainment.