Shloka 89
Viśokā Dvādaśī Vow, Guḍa-Dhenū (Jaggery-Cow) Gift, and Śaila-Dāna (Mountain-Charity) Rites
धान्यशैलादयो देयाः कार्तिक्यां ज्येष्ठपुष्करे । तीर्थेष्वायतने वापि गोष्ठे वा भवनांगणे
dhānyaśailādayo deyāḥ kārtikyāṃ jyeṣṭhapuṣkare | tīrtheṣvāyatane vāpi goṣṭhe vā bhavanāṃgaṇe
ਕਾਰਤਿਕ ਮਹੀਨੇ, ਜ੍ਯੇਸ਼ਠ-ਪੁਸ਼ਕਰ ਦੇ ਪਵਿੱਤਰ ਅਵਸਰ ਤੇ, ਅਨਾਜ ਦੇ ਢੇਰ ਆਦਿ ਦਾਨ ਕਰਨੇ ਚਾਹੀਦੇ ਹਨ—ਤੀਰਥਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ, ਮੰਦਰ ਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਾਂਗਣ ਵਿੱਚ, ਗੋਸ਼ਾਲਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਜਾਂ ਆਪਣੇ ਘਰ ਦੇ ਆੰਗਣ ਵਿੱਚ।
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context-dependent within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa 21)
Concept: Dāna in Kārtika, offered in sanctified spaces (tīrtha/temple/goshṭha/home), becomes a portable form of pilgrimage and purifies both giver and place.
Application: Set aside a Kārtika charity budget (grain/food staples), donate at a temple or to cow-shelters/food kitchens, and sanctify the home by giving from one’s own courtyard with a prayer to Viṣṇu.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A Kārtika morning at Puṣkara: pilgrims carry baskets of grain toward a small shrine courtyard while a cow-shed nearby shelters gentle cows garlanded with marigolds. A householder offers a heap of grain with folded hands, as temple lamps flicker and the tīrtha atmosphere makes ordinary charity feel like a cosmic rite.","primary_figures":["Vaiṣṇava householder donor","brāhmaṇa recipient","temple priest","cows (go-mātā)","pilgrims at Puṣkara"],"setting":"Puṣkara tīrtha precinct blending temple steps, a modest gośālā, and a domestic courtyard space with rangoli and grain baskets","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["saffron orange","marigold yellow","sandalwood beige","emerald green","vermillion red"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Kārtika dāna at Puṣkara—central donor couple offering a shining heap of grain before a small Viṣṇu shrine, cows at the side with ornate harnesses; heavy gold-leaf halos on deity icons, rich crimson and emerald textiles, gem-studded ornaments, temple pillars and lamps rendered with embossed gold.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a lyrical Puṣkara courtyard scene with delicate figures carrying grain baskets, soft morning haze over ghats, cows resting under a neem tree; cool pastel palette with refined facial features, intricate textile patterns, and distant Aravalli hills.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized temple courtyard with bold black outlines; donor offering grain near a lamp-lit sanctum, cows depicted with rhythmic curves; natural pigment reds/yellows/greens, large expressive eyes, and ornamental borders of lotus and conch motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Kārtika charity tableau framed by lotus and tulasi borders; a small Viṣṇu/Śālagrāma altar at center, cows and peacocks around, devotees offering grain heaps; deep indigo background with gold detailing and floral filigree in Nathdwara tradition."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["temple bells","soft conch shell","murmured mantras","cow bells","distant pilgrim footsteps"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: धान्यशैलादयो→धान्यशैलादयः; तीर्थेष्वायतने→तीर्थेषु आयतने; वापि→वा अपि; भवनांगणे→भवनाङ्गणे.
FAQs
It states that gifts like heaps of grain may be given not only at tīrthas and temples, but also in a cowshed or even at one’s own home courtyard—broadening the acceptable sacred venues for dāna.
Kārtika is frequently treated as a highly meritorious month for religious observances and gifts, while Puṣkara is a famed tīrtha; the verse links auspicious time (Kārtika) with a renowned sacred place (Jyeṣṭha-Puṣkara) to intensify the merit of charity.
The verse promotes practical generosity: one should give essential sustenance (grain and similar necessities) and not postpone charity for lack of an “ideal” location, since multiple venues are affirmed as suitable.