Shloka 39
Description of the Worship of the Planets
द्वापरे यज्ञमित्याहुर्दानमेकं कलौ युगे । सर्वेषामेव दानानामिदमेवैकमुत्तमम्
dvāpare yajñamityāhurdānamekaṃ kalau yuge | sarveṣāmeva dānānāmidamevaikamuttamam
Pada zaman Dvāpara, amalan utama dikatakan ialah yajña (korban suci); tetapi pada zaman Kali, satu kewajipan tertinggi ialah dāna (sedekah). Daripada segala bentuk pemberian, inilah yang paling utama.
Unspecified (narratorial/teaching voice within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa context)
Concept: Yuga-dharma shifts: yajña is central in Dvāpara, but in Kali the foremost duty is dāna; among gifts, a particular form is singled out as supreme (contextually completed by the next verse as ‘abhaya-dāna’).
Application: Prioritize generosity and social responsibility: support food, medicine, education, and protection for the vulnerable; make giving regular (monthly/weekly) and intentional rather than occasional.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A fourfold wheel of time turns in the sky, each quadrant showing a signature act: Kṛta—ascetics with matted hair; Tretā—scholars with manuscripts; Dvāpara—fire altar with priests; Kali—ordinary householders offering alms and protection to the needy. The Kali quadrant glows warmly, emphasizing accessibility and compassion.","primary_figures":["Householder donors","Recipients (poor, travelers, animals)","Vedic priests at yajña (symbolic)","Sages and scholars (symbolic)"],"setting":"Mandala-like cosmic wheel with four vignettes; Kali scene set in a village street near a small shrine","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["warm ochre","vermillion","indigo","smoke gray","leaf green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a circular yuga-chakra with four compartments; Dvāpara compartment shows a blazing yajña-kuṇḍa with priests in silk, Kali compartment shows a richly dressed yet humble donor offering coins, grain, and cloth to supplicants; heavy gold leaf on borders, jewel-like highlights, ornate lotus frame.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: elegant yuga-wheel composition with delicate lines; the Kali vignette features a quiet village lane, a small tulasī platform in the background, and a donor placing alms into a recipient’s hands; cool shadows, refined faces, subtle textile patterns.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and flat natural pigments; the yajña fire rendered as stylized flame motifs, and Kali dāna scene with expressive eyes and rhythmic gestures; temple-wall symmetry, red-yellow-green dominance.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a devotional mandala with four yuga petals; the Kali petal filled with lotus motifs and rows of devotees giving food and cloth, peacocks at the border, deep blue ground with gold detailing, intricate floral margins."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["soft hand cymbals","low mridangam pulse","marketplace ambience fading into silence","conch shell (very distant)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यज्ञम् + इति → यज्ञमिति; इति + आहुः → इत्याहुः; दानम् + एकम् → दानमेकम्; दानानाम् + इदम् → दानानामिदम्; एव + एकम् → एवैकम्.
FAQs
It presents a hierarchy of predominant spiritual practices by age: yajña (sacrifice) is highlighted for Dvāpara, while dāna (charity) is emphasized as the principal discipline in Kali.
The verse frames charity as the single most accessible and effective ethical-spiritual act for Kali, implying that complex sacrificial disciplines are less central than compassionate giving.
It prioritizes generosity and social responsibility, teaching that giving—done as a sacred duty—can be the highest form of righteousness in an age of moral decline.