Shloka 186
Right Conduct, Offenses Against Brāhmaṇas, Truthfulness, and the Greatness of the Cow
Go-Māhātmya
खुरेण कर्षयेद्भूमिं ततो लोष्ठं च कर्दमः । पितृभ्यश्च स्वधा तत्र लक्षकोटिगुणं भवेत्
khureṇa karṣayedbhūmiṃ tato loṣṭhaṃ ca kardamaḥ | pitṛbhyaśca svadhā tatra lakṣakoṭiguṇaṃ bhavet
Apabila bumi dibajak dengan kuku, terbitlah ketulan tanah dan lumpur; di situ persembahan svadhā kepada para Pitṛ menjadi berlipat ganda hingga seratus-ribu koṭi kali.
Unknown (context not provided; likely a narrator within a Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue typical of Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa passages)
Concept: Offerings to ancestors (svadhā) gain extraordinary potency when performed in a sanctified context; dharma integrates agriculture, animal reverence, and ritual reciprocity.
Application: Perform śrāddha/tarpaṇa with care for place, purity, and intention; respect the land and animals that sustain life, seeing them as participants in dharma.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sacred patch of earth is being gently furrowed by a bull’s hoof, and as clods and mud rise, they glow with subtle mantra-like patterns, as if the soil itself is chanting ‘svadhā’. Above the ground, offerings multiply into countless luminous grains flowing toward a serene ancestral plane, suggesting ‘lakṣa-koṭi-guṇa’ abundance.","primary_figures":["bull (vṛṣa)","householder priest (optional)","pitṛs (subtle, upper plane)"],"setting":"Rural field-edge near a small ritual platform with darbha grass, sesame, and a water pot; horizon with trees and a distant shrine.","lighting_mood":"forest dappled","color_palette":["earth umber","saffron gold","leaf green","ash gray","deep indigo"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: bull hoof ploughing a small sacred furrow, clods of earth rendered with gold leaf highlights and mantra motifs, svadhā offerings multiplying into radiant grains rising toward faint pitṛ figures; ornate arch border, rich reds/greens, gem-like detailing on ritual vessels.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate agrarian scene with lyrical field textures, a calm bull and a small śrāddha setup, glowing specks representing multiplied svadhā drifting upward; cool natural palette, refined faces, gentle hills as distant backdrop.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized bull and furrow with rhythmic repeating clod shapes, golden circles indicating multiplied offering, pitṛ band above in flat decorative register; bold outlines, natural pigments, temple-wall symmetry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central bull within ornate floral borders, earth clods depicted as lotus-like motifs, multiplied svadhā as a garland of gold dots ascending to a celestial strip; deep blue ground, intricate vines, devotional ornamentation."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low drum pulse","rustle of earth","cowbells","brief silence between pādas"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कर्षयेद्भूमिं = कर्षयेत् + भूमिम्; पितृभ्यश्च = पितृभ्यः + च.
FAQs
The Pitṛs are the ancestral beings (forefathers) who are traditionally honored through śrāddha and offerings such as svadhā in Vedic-Purāṇic ritual culture.
Svadhā is the ritual offering/formula associated with the Pitṛs (as distinct from “svāhā,” which is associated with offerings to the Devas).
It emphasizes reverence for ancestors and the extraordinary merit attributed to properly directed ancestral offerings, presenting ritual duty (pitṛ-yajña) as spiritually potent.