Shloka 3
The Greatness of Prayāga
Merits of Māgha Rites and Northern River Fords
गोभूहिरण्यदानेन यत्फलं प्राप्नुयान्नरः । एतत्फलमवाप्नोति तत्तीर्थं स्मरते पुनः
gobhūhiraṇyadānena yatphalaṃ prāpnuyānnaraḥ | etatphalamavāpnoti tattīrthaṃ smarate punaḥ
ഗോ, ഭൂമി, സ്വർണം എന്നിവ ദാനം ചെയ്താൽ ലഭിക്കുന്ന ഫലം ഏതോ, അതേ ഫലം ആ തീർത്ഥത്തെ സ്മരിക്കുന്നതുമാത്രം കൊണ്ടും വീണ്ടും ലഭിക്കുന്നു।
Unspecified (narratorial verse within the Svarga-khaṇḍa discourse)
Concept: Remembrance of a sacred place can yield merit comparable to major gifts; inner orientation (smaraṇa) is spiritually efficacious.
Application: If you cannot give large donations or travel, practice daily smaraṇa: recall a tīrtha, recite its name, offer a small charity, and dedicate the merit to Nārāyaṇa and all beings.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devotee sits at home before a small altar with a water pot and a simple lamp, eyes closed in vivid remembrance of the tīrtha; above, the remembered riverbank appears like a translucent vision. On one side, symbolic gifts—cow, land deed, and gold—float as faint icons, dissolving into a single stream of merit flowing toward the heart.","primary_figures":["devotee in smaraṇa","visionary tīrtha-personification (subtle)","symbolic icons of cow/land/gold (allegorical)"],"setting":"Domestic shrine transitioning into a dreamlike overlay of a sacred ford; the boundary between inner mind and outer landscape is artistically blurred.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["lamp gold","cream white","river blue","vermillion","soft charcoal"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: devotee at a home altar with gold leaf aura, a visionary Prayāga/ford scene appearing in a gilded cloud above, symbolic cow/land/gold rendered as ornate icons, rich reds and greens, heavy embellishment emphasizing merit through remembrance.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate interior with a small lamp and calm devotee, delicate translucent overlay of a riverbank vision, cool blues and warm lamp tones, refined minimalism, poetic emphasis on inner pilgrimage.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized devotee in profile with bold outlines, a thought-bubble panel showing the tīrtha, repeating lamp motifs, earthy pigments and strong contours, didactic clarity of ‘smaraṇa = dāna-phala’.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central devotee framed by lotus borders, above a stylized river-confluence motif, decorative icons of cow/land/gold integrated into floral patterns, deep blue ground with gold highlights, devotional accessibility theme."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["soft bells","tanpura drone","silence","distant water sound (imagined)","gentle wind chime"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यत्फलं = यत् + फलम्; प्राप्नुयान्नरः = प्राप्नुयात् + नरः (त् + न → न्न); एतत्फलमवाप्नोति = एतत् + फलम् + अवाप्नोति; तत्तीर्थं = तत् + तीर्थम्; पदच्छेदः: गोभूहिरण्यदानेन यत् फलम् प्राप्नुयात् नरः। एतत् फलम् अवाप्नोति तत् तीर्थम् स्मरते पुनः।
FAQs
The verse praises tīrtha-smaraṇa—remembering a sacred pilgrimage place—as a powerful means of gaining merit comparable to major acts of charity.
It equates the fruit of great donations (cows, land, gold) with the fruit gained by remembering a particular tīrtha, highlighting the spiritual potency attributed to sacred places.
It encourages cultivating sacred memory and devotion, while also underscoring the traditional value of generosity—presenting both as pathways to puṇya (religious merit).