Shloka 51
The Greatness of the Kāliṇdī (Yamunā): Merit of Bathing, Charity, and Faith
कोटितीर्थसहस्रैस्तु सेवितैः किं प्रयोजनम् । तत्र दानं च होमश्च सर्वं कोटिगुणं भवेत्
koṭitīrthasahasraistu sevitaiḥ kiṃ prayojanam | tatra dānaṃ ca homaśca sarvaṃ koṭiguṇaṃ bhavet
ஆயிரக்கணக்கான தீர்த்தங்களைச் சேவித்தால் என்ன பயன்? அங்கே தானமும் ஹோமமும்—உண்மையில் அனைத்தும்—கோடி மடங்கு பலன் தரும்.
Unspecified (narratorial/teaching voice within the Svarga-khaṇḍa context)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: tirtha
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कोटितीर्थसहस्रैस्तु = कोटितीर्थसहस्रैः + तु; होमश्च = होमः + च।
FAQs
It teaches that certain sacred contexts amplify religious acts—especially dāna (charity) and homa (fire-offering)—to an immense (koṭi-fold) degree, surpassing the mere accumulation of pilgrimages.
No. It rhetorically questions pilgrimage done as an end in itself, and redirects attention to transformative acts like charity and ritual offering, whose merit is said to multiply greatly at the appropriate sacred place.
It emphasizes purposeful religiosity: spiritual merit is not only about travel or external observance, but about meaningful actions—generosity and sacrificial giving—performed with the right intention.