Shloka 170
Viśokā Dvādaśī Vow, Guḍa-Dhenū (Jaggery-Cow) Gift, and Śaila-Dāna (Mountain-Charity) Rites
अनेन विधिना दद्याद्घृताचलमनुत्तमम् । महापातकयुक्तोपि लोकमायाति शांभवम्
anena vidhinā dadyādghṛtācalamanuttamam | mahāpātakayuktopi lokamāyāti śāṃbhavam
अनेनैव विधिना यः घृताचलमनुत्तमं ददाति, स महापातकयुक्तोऽपि शांभवं लोकं प्राप्नोति।
Not specified in the provided excerpt (context required from surrounding verses of Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa 21).
Concept: Properly performed dāna, even by a grievous sinner, can purify and grant exalted post-mortem attainment.
Application: Practice generosity with integrity and correct procedure; pair giving with repentance and disciplined conduct rather than despairing over past mistakes.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A penitent householder offers a gleaming ‘Ghṛtācala’—a stylized mountain-shaped mass of clarified butter—upon a sanctified altar, while priests chant and pour ghee into a small fire. Above, a translucent vision of Śambhu’s realm opens like a luminous gateway, suggesting liberation from heavy sin through exact ritual giving.","primary_figures":["Donor (gṛhastha)","Vedic priest (ṛtvik)","Śiva (as Śambhu, visionary)"],"setting":"Ritual courtyard with yajña-kuṇḍa, kusa grass, copper vessels of ghee, and a distant silhouette of a sacred shrine","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["ghee-gold","ash-white","rudraksha-brown","vermillion red","smoky indigo"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a central altar with a mountain-shaped golden Ghṛtācala offering, priests in white dhotis chanting beside a small yajña fire; in the upper register Śambhu appears in a radiant aureole with trident and crescent moon, heavy gold leaf halos, rich maroon and emerald borders, gem-studded ornaments, ornate arch (prabhāmaṇḍala) framing the divine vision.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate courtyard dāna scene with delicate linework—donor kneeling before a small fire altar, ghee vessels and a stylized butter-mountain; soft atmospheric wash reveals a faint celestial opening with Śambhu’s silhouette, cool greys and warm saffron accents, refined faces, lyrical trees and a distant hill shrine.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and flat natural pigments—donor and priest flanking a bright yellow-gold Ghṛtācala on a lotus pedestal; Śambhu in the upper panel with large expressive eyes, crescent moon, and trident, red-yellow-green palette, temple-wall composition with decorative floral bands.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional offering tableau with ornate lotus borders and hanging lamps; the Ghṛtācala rendered as a golden mound on a lotus, attendants and priests in rhythmic symmetry; celestial motifs above (cloud scrolls, bells), deep indigo ground with gold detailing and floral filigree."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["low yajña-fire crackle","soft temple bells","conch shell (distant)","measured Vedic chanting","brief silence after ‘śāmbhavam’"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दद्याद्घृताचलम् = दद्यāt + घृताचलम्; महापातकयुक्तोपि = महापातकयुक्तः + अपि; लोकमायाति = लोकम् + आयाति
FAQs
It teaches that a properly performed, highly meritorious donation (here called Ghṛtācala) has powerful purificatory merit—so strong that even a person associated with grave sins can attain Śiva’s realm.
Yes. The stated fruit of the act is reaching the ‘śāṃbhava’ world (Śiva’s realm), which reflects a Śaiva-oriented soteriological promise within this section.
The verse implies that sincere, rule-guided giving (dāna) and ritual propriety can function as a means of moral rehabilitation, emphasizing accountability alongside a pathway for purification.