Shloka 18
The Greatness of Prayāga: Fruits of Pilgrimage, Remembrance, and Cow-Gift
स्वर्णशृंगीं रौप्यखुरां चैलकंठीं पयस्विनीम् । प्रयागे श्रोत्रियं साधुं ग्राहयित्वा यथाविधि
svarṇaśṛṃgīṃ raupyakhurāṃ cailakaṃṭhīṃ payasvinīm | prayāge śrotriyaṃ sādhuṃ grāhayitvā yathāvidhi
പ്രയാഗത്തിൽ യഥാവിധി ശ്രോത്രിയനും സദാചാരസമ്പന്നനുമായ ബ്രാഹ്മണനെ വരുത്തി, സ്വർണശൃംഗവും വെള്ളിഖുരവും വസ്ത്രബന്ധിതകണ്ഠവും ഉള്ള പാൽ തരുന്ന ഗാവിനെ ദാനമായി സ്വീകരിപ്പിക്കണം।
Not explicitly stated in the provided single verse (context needed from surrounding verses).
Concept: Sāttvika charity requires proper recipient (śrotriya-sādhu) and proper procedure (yathāvidhi), not merely the object given.
Application: When donating, prioritize integrity: verify need and character, follow ethical procedure, and avoid performative giving; let generosity be structured and respectful.
Primary Rasa: dharma
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"On the Prayāga ghat, a milch-cow stands adorned: golden horns catching the sun, silvered hooves gleaming, and a cloth-wrapped neck like a ceremonial garland. A dignified śrotriya-sādhu receives the gift with calm gravity as attendants hold ritual vessels and kusa grass, the rivers’ meeting currents shimmering behind.","primary_figures":["śrotriya brāhmaṇa (sādhu)","dvija donor","milch-cow with golden horns and silver hooves","ritual attendants"],"setting":"Stone ghat at the saṅgama with a small fire-altar, water pots, cloth bundles, and pilgrims in the distance.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["molten gold","sterling silver","ivory white","river teal","maroon cloth-red"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: richly ornamented cow with gold-leaf horns and embossed jewelry; śrotriya in white with serene face, donor offering with folded hands; gold-leaf highlights on river ripples and ritual vessels, deep red-green borders, gem-like detailing on ornaments.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: elegant, restrained ceremony at a cool-toned riverbank; fine brushwork on the cow’s cloth-bound neck and metallic accents; soft dawn gradients, delicate figures with refined expressions, lyrical landscape with distant ghats and trees.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: iconic frontal cow with stylized gold horns and silver hooves; bold outlines, flat pigments; priests and donor arranged symmetrically, saṅgama currents shown as two colored bands meeting; temple-wall solemnity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornate border of lotuses and creepers; central ceremonial cow-dāna scene at Prayāga; stylized river lotuses, peacocks at corners, deep indigo ground with gold motifs, devotional textile rhythm."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["mantra murmurs","flowing water","bell chimes","rustle of cloth","low conch note"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स्वर्णशृंगीं → स्वर्ण + शृङ्गीम् (बहुव्रीहिः); रौप्यखुरां → रौप्य + खुराम्; चैलकंठीं → चैल + कण्ठीम्; यथाविधि → यथा + विधि (अव्ययीभावः).
FAQs
It describes a regulated act of dāna (religious gifting), specifically gifting a milch-cow to a qualified recipient (a śrotriya, Veda-learned Brahmin) at the sacred site of Prayāga, performed yathāvidhi (according to prescribed rules).
In dharma literature, gifts are ideally given to a qualified, disciplined, Veda-trained recipient; specifying śrotriya and sādhu emphasizes proper eligibility so the act of dāna is ritually and ethically “well-placed.”
Prayāga is presented as a tīrtha (sacred ford/pilgrimage center) where meritorious acts like properly conducted charity are especially emphasized in Purāṇic tradition.