Shloka 42

Narmadā Pilgrimage Itinerary: Sequence of Tīrthas, Rites, and Fruits

Devanagari script

उपोष्य रजनीमेकां नियतो नियताशनः । तत्र तीर्थप्रभावेण मुच्यते ब्रह्महत्यया

Transliteration

upoṣya rajanīmekāṃ niyato niyatāśanaḥ | tatra tīrthaprabhāveṇa mucyate brahmahatyayā

Translation

ഒരു രാത്രി ഉപവസിച്ച്, നിയന്ത്രിതനും നിയതാഹാരിയുമായ ഭക്തൻ, അവിടെ ആ തീർത്ഥത്തിന്റെ മഹിമയാൽ ബ്രഹ്മഹത്യാപാപത്തിൽ നിന്ന് മോചിതനാകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• upoṣya: having fasted
• upoṣya: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-vas (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभावः; ‘उपवसित्वा’ (having fasted)

• rajanīm: a night
• rajanīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rajanī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (feminine), द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• ekām: one
• ekām: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् rajanīm प्रति

• niyataḥ: disciplined
• niyataḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niyata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (disciplined/restrained)

• niyata-āśanaḥ: with regulated diet
• niyata-āśanaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niyata + āśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; कर्मधारय-समासः ‘नियतं (मर्यादितं) आशनं यस्य’/‘नियत-आशनः’; विशेषणम् (one with regulated food)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• tīrtha-prabhāveṇa: by the power of the tīrtha
• tīrtha-prabhāveṇa: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha + prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गः, तृतीया (Instrumental/तृतीया), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी) ‘तीर्थस्य प्रभावः’

• mucyate: is freed
• mucyate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive)

• brahma-hatyayā: from the sin of brahmin-slaying
• brahma-hatyayā: Hetu/Apādāna (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman + hatyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुष-समासः ‘ब्रह्मणः हत्या’ (brahmin-slaying); तृतीया here = हेतौ/संबन्धे (from/with regard to)

Speaker

Unspecified (narratorial instruction within the Svarga-khaṇḍa context)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: tirtha

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: rajanīmekām = rajanīm + ekām; niyatāśanaḥ = niyata-āśanaḥ; tīrthaprabhāveṇa = tīrtha-prabhāveṇa

FAQs

What does this verse say about the efficacy of a tīrtha (pilgrimage site)?

It states that the tīrtha’s spiritual potency (tīrtha-prabhāva) can liberate a person even from brahma-hatyā, when accompanied by a simple vow such as a one-night fast with disciplined conduct.

What practice is prescribed here as expiation (prāyaścitta)?

A one-night fast (rajanīm ekāṃ upoṣya) combined with self-restraint (niyataḥ) and regulated eating/discipline (niyatāśanaḥ).

What ethical lesson is emphasized in this verse?

The verse highlights personal discipline and reverence for sacred places, teaching that repentance and regulated conduct, joined with pilgrimage, are central components of purification in dharma literature.