Shloka 123
The Tale of the Vulture and the She-Jackal: The Māhātmya of the Saukarava Sacred Field
महादानैश्च लभ्येत तीर्थे पञ्चत्वमर्च्छकैः ॥ जन्मान्तरकृतं कर्म यत्स्वल्पमपि वा बहु
mahādānaiś ca labhyeta tīrthe pañcatvam arcchakaiḥ || janmāntara-kṛtaṃ karma yat svalpam api vā bahu
ਵੱਡੇ ਦਾਨਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਵੀ ਉਸ ਦਾ ਫਲ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ; ਤੀਰਥ-ਘਾਟ ਉੱਤੇ ਭਗਤ ‘ਪੰਚਤ੍ਵ’ ਨੂੰ ਪਹੁੰਚ ਸਕਦੇ ਹਨ। ਪਿਛਲੇ ਜਨਮ ਵਿੱਚ ਕੀਤਾ ਕਰਮ—ਥੋੜ੍ਹਾ ਹੋਵੇ ਜਾਂ ਬਹੁਤ—ਅਵਸ਼੍ਯ ਹਿਸਾਬ ਵਿੱਚ ਆਉਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
Varāha (default instructor voice in dialogue)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Instructional discourse to Bhū-devī on tīrtha, dāna, and karma-phala."}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"curious","key_question":"How do dāna and tīrtha-sevā affect the fruition of past karma and the attainment of pañcatva?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":true,"specific_site":"Unspecified tīrtha within Mathurā-maṇḍala (chapter context suggests a local sacred ford).","parikrama_context":"General tīrtha-visit merit; can be integrated into Mathurā-parikramā as a merit-amplifying stop.","krishna_connection":"Implicit Vaiṣṇava tīrtha framework; no explicit Kṛṣṇa-līlā reference in this verse."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"Mahā-dāna and tīrtha-arcana are declared potent means for attaining elevated states and for encountering the due results of prior karma.","karmic_consequence":"Merit increases through dāna/tīrtha; past karma (alpam/bahū) inevitably comes to fruition rather than being annulled."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma-phala and sādhanā","core_concept":"Karma is inescapably fructifying; tīrtha-darśana, arcana, and dāna shape one’s trajectory and readiness to receive results.","practical_application":"Practice dāna with devotion, visit and worship at tīrthas, and accept karmic outcomes as lawful while cultivating merit and clarity."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Heritage Sites"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tīrtha/ghāṭa (generic)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa Mathurā-māhātmya passages on tīrtha-darśana and dāna-phala (adjacent verses/sections)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha as divine instructor describing the power of great gifts and tīrtha-worship, with pilgrims offering gifts at a river-ford.","item_prompts":["Varāha teaching posture","Bhū-devī listening","river ghāṭa/tīrtha steps","pilgrims with water-pots","gift offerings (cows, gold, cloth)","temple lamp and garlands"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Varāha in regal divine form instructing Bhū-devī near a stylized ghāṭa; flat warm palette, ornate jewelry, lotus motifs, devotees offering dāna.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Central Varāha with halo and gold-leaf ornaments; Bhū-devī seated; foreground dāna items (cow, coins, cloth) at a gleaming riverbank shrine.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: Soft shading, refined faces; Varāha gesturing toward a tīrtha; pilgrims in orderly line; emphasis on serenity and dharmic instruction.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: Mountain-river stylization; intimate teacher-disciple scene; delicate architecture of a ghāṭa; bright textiles and minimal background."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic, contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, steady, instructive"}
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic economy of merit where tīrthas and dāna are framed as socially legible practices linked to wider theories of rebirth and karmic continuity.
The verse uses the generic term tīrtha; the broader passage context (later lines) points toward Somatīrtha as the named site.
It emphasizes responsibility for actions across lifetimes and presents charitable giving as a culturally valorized means of ethical cultivation.