Shloka 74
Account of Various Sacred Tīrthas
Pilgrimage Merits and Prayāga Supremacy
प्रजापतिमुपासंत ऋषयश्च महानघाः । यजंते क्रतुभिर्देवांस्तथा चक्रधरा नृप
prajāpatimupāsaṃta ṛṣayaśca mahānaghāḥ | yajaṃte kratubhirdevāṃstathā cakradharā nṛpa
निर्दोष महर्षींनी प्रजापतीची उपासना केली; तसेच, हे नृपा, चक्रधारी जनही क्रतू-यज्ञांनी देवतांचे यजन करीत.
Unknown (context not provided for this isolated verse; likely a narrator addressing a king: 'nṛpa')
Concept: Upāsanā and yajña are sustained by the synergy of ṛṣi-tapas and divine guardianship; ritual is a communal cosmic act.
Application: Honor lineage and discipline: keep daily worship consistent, support communal rites/charity, and cultivate ‘stainlessness’ (anagha) through truthfulness and restraint.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Stainless sages with matted locks sit in concentric circles around a blazing altar, offering oblations with synchronized gestures. Behind them stand ‘cakradhara’ divine figures—disc-bearing guardians—watching over the rite as if the very air is disciplined into mantra and meter.","primary_figures":["Great Ṛṣis (anagha)","Cakradhara divine attendants (Viṣṇu-associated guardians)","Prajāpati (invoked presence)","A king (nṛpa) as listener/witness"],"setting":"Forest-edge yajñaśālā near a tīrtha, with kusa mats, ladles, soma vessels, and a bannered sacrificial pavilion; distant river shimmer.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["sandalwood beige","fire-amber","ash gray","leaf green","disc-gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a richly ornamented yajña pavilion with sages offering ghee into stylized flames, cakradhara guardians with golden discs and jeweled crowns standing symmetrically; gold leaf on discs, flames, and altar borders; deep red and green textiles, traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined sages in pale ochres and whites seated around a small altar, delicate smoke curls, cakradhara figures in cool blues with subtle gold discs; forest and river rendered with lyrical detail, soft sky wash, intimate scale.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines show the yajña scene with rhythmic hand-gestures of offering, cakradhara guardians with large eyes and stylized discs; warm red/yellow/green palette, mural-like frontal composition.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: decorative yajña mandala with floral borders, repeated flame motifs, cakra symbols as pattern elements; sages arranged like petals around the altar; deep blue ground with gold and white detailing, peacocks at corners."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["Vedic chanting drone","crackling fire","wooden ladle taps","forest birds"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्रजापतिम् + उपासन्त → प्रजापतिमुपासन्त (म् + उ → मु). ऋषयः + च → ऋषयश्च (ः + च → श्च). क्रतुभिः + देवान् → क्रतुभिर्देवान् (ः + द → र्द).
FAQs
Prajāpati is a title meaning “Lord of creatures,” often associated with the creator function (sometimes linked with Brahmā or progenitor deities). Here, the sages are said to revere Prajāpati.
Kratubhiḥ means “by sacrifices/ritual rites,” indicating worship through yajña-style sacrificial ceremonies rather than only personal devotion or meditation.
The verse highlights disciplined reverence: sages honor cosmic progenitors, and worship of the devas is performed through prescribed rites—suggesting order, duty, and ritual integrity as a means of sustaining dharma.