Shloka 20
The Greatness of the Gaṇḍakī River and the Śālagrāma Stone
इति श्रीपद्मपुराणे पातालखंडे रामाश्वमेधे शेषवात्स्यायनसंवादे । गंडकीमाहात्म्यंनाम विंशोऽध्यायः
iti śrīpadmapurāṇe pātālakhaṃḍe rāmāśvamedhe śeṣavātsyāyanasaṃvāde | gaṃḍakīmāhātmyaṃnāma viṃśo'dhyāyaḥ
Demikianlah, dalam Śrī Padma Purāṇa, bahagian Pātālakhaṇḍa, dalam kisah Aśvamedha Sri Rāma, dalam dialog antara Śeṣa dan Vātsyāyana, berakhirlah bab kedua puluh yang bernama “Keagungan Gaṇḍakī.”
Narratorial colophon (textual closure identifying section, context, and chapter title)
Application: Use colophons to locate teachings within the Purāṇa’s structure; treat tīrtha-mahātmya as part of a larger dharma narrative rather than isolated claims.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Type: river
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A manuscript-like closing scene: palm-leaf folios and a scribe’s stylus rest beside a small shrine where Śeṣa (the cosmic serpent) appears in vision, while a sage (Vātsyāyana) listens. In the background, a ceremonial Aśvamedha pavilion with banners and sacrificial posts is rendered as a distant, sanctified memory, and the Gaṇḍakī river motif flows like an ink border around the frame.","primary_figures":["Śeṣa (Ananta)","Vātsyāyana","Scribe/reciter (symbolic)","Rāma (distant emblematic presence)"],"setting":"Textual colophon tableau blending manuscript desk, visionary dialogue space, and a distant ritual pavilion; river-border ornamentation.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["aged parchment beige","ink black","saffron","peacock blue","burnished gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: colophon-as-icon—Śeṣa with multiple hoods forming a gold-leaf canopy, Vātsyāyana seated with scripture, a miniature Aśvamedha pavilion in the background; heavy gold embellishment, rich reds/greens, ornate arch border with lotus and conch motifs.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined manuscript-room scene with delicate lines, a sage listening to a luminous serpent-deity vision; distant ritual pavilion and a ribbon-like river border; cool palette, subtle shading, poetic restraint.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Śeṣa rendered with bold outlines and stylized hoods, Vātsyāyana in profile with large eyes; decorative border of river waves and lotus; warm reds/yellows/greens in temple-wall composition.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central Śeṣa mandala framed by lotus borders; small narrative vignettes of Aśvamedha pavilion and Gaṇḍakī river motifs around the edges; deep blue ground with gold floral filigree."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["page rustle","temple bell (soft)","conch shell (distant)","silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: गंडकीमाहात्म्यंनाम = गण्डकी-माहात्म्यम् + नाम. विंशोऽध्यायः = विंशः + अध्यायः (विसर्ग-सन्धि: ओऽ).
FAQs
This is a colophon (chapter-ending notice). It primarily records the textual location (Padma Purāṇa → Pātālakhaṇḍa), the narrative frame (Rāma’s Aśvamedha), the dialogue participants (Śeṣa and Vātsyāyana), and the chapter title (Gaṇḍakī-māhātmya), rather than advancing the story.
By naming “Gaṇḍakī-māhātmya,” it signals that the chapter is part of the Purāṇic tīrtha tradition—sections that praise a specific sacred river/region and its religious merit, indicating the text’s interest in mapping holiness onto real landscapes.
Indirectly: it situates the chapter within Rāma’s religious context and a Purāṇic dialogue frame. While the colophon itself is not devotional instruction, the surrounding “māhātmya” genre commonly supports devotional practice by praising sacred places associated with Viṣṇu/Rāma traditions.