Shloka 79
Pilgrimage Sequence on Sacred Fords (Narmadā Region): Bhṛgu-tīrtha, Śiva-vratas, and Merit Amplification
ततो गच्छेत राजेंद्र शिखितीर्थमनुत्तमम् । तत्र वै दीयते दानं सर्वं कोटिगुणं भवेत्
tato gaccheta rājeṃdra śikhitīrthamanuttamam | tatra vai dīyate dānaṃ sarvaṃ koṭiguṇaṃ bhavet
அப்போது, அரசே, ஒப்பற்ற சிகிதீர்த்தத்திற்குச் செல்ல வேண்டும். அங்கே அளிக்கப்படும் எந்தத் தானமும் நிச்சயமாக கோடிமடங்கு பலனாகிறது.
Not explicitly specified in the provided excerpt (likely a narrator/sage addressing a king: 'rājendra').
Concept: Charity offered in a sanctified context multiplies in spiritual efficacy; place and intention together amplify karma’s fruit.
Application: Give regularly; when possible, give in sacred or meaningful contexts (temples, service settings). Let ‘koṭi-guṇa’ be read as motivation to increase generosity, not as transactional bargaining.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"At Śikhitīrtha’s ancient ford, a royal donor offers cloth, grain, and gold to humble recipients as priests chant beside a small shrine. The air itself seems to shimmer, and the gifts are mirrored in countless luminous reflections on the water—visualizing the ‘crore-fold’ multiplication of merit.","primary_figures":["royal donor (rājendra archetype)","brāhmaṇa priests","recipients (poor, pilgrims)"],"setting":"River ford with stone platform, donation pavilion (dāna-śālā), sacred fire altar, banyan tree, small shrine with flags.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["saffron","river blue","antique gold","stone gray","leaf green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Śikhitīrtha river ford with a royal donor presenting gifts to priests and the needy; gold leaf lavishly applied to coins, vessels, halos, and shrine ornaments; rich reds and greens, gem-studded jewelry, symmetrical composition with ornate pillars and traditional South Indian decorative borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate dāna scene by a calm river; the king seated on a carpeted platform, attendants holding baskets of gifts; priests and recipients in gentle gestures; delicate brushwork, soft blues and saffrons, refined faces, naturalistic trees and distant hills.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized donation pavilion with bold outlines; donor and recipients in formal profile; patterned river and shrine; strong ochre, green, vermilion, and blue palette with black contours, mural symmetry and ornamental borders.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Śikhitīrtha as a decorative riverside mandala; repeated motifs of gift vessels, lotus borders, peacocks; central donor figure framed by floral vines; deep blues and gold accents, intricate textile detailing to suggest multiplied merit."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["mantra chanting","coin clink","temple bells","river flow"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शिखितीर्थमनुत्तमम् = शिखितीर्थम् + अनुत्तमम्.
FAQs
It points to a named pilgrimage site—Śikhitīrtha—showing how the Svarga-khaṇḍa maps spiritual merit onto specific places, where visiting and ritual acts like dāna are said to yield amplified results.
It presents dāna as a central meritorious act and teaches that giving at a consecrated tīrtha carries heightened spiritual efficacy, described here as “koṭi-guṇa” (crore-fold multiplication).
By instructing a ruler, the verse frames generosity and support of religious giving as a royal and social virtue—encouraging leaders and laypeople alike to practice charity as a means of welfare and spiritual merit.