Shloka 22
The Procedure for the Consecration of a Pond
रजसा मंडलं कुर्यात्पंचवर्णेन तत्त्ववित् । षोडशारं ततश्चक्रं पद्मगर्भं चतुर्मुखम्
rajasā maṃḍalaṃ kuryātpaṃcavarṇena tattvavit | ṣoḍaśāraṃ tataścakraṃ padmagarbhaṃ caturmukham
తత్త్వవేత్త పంచవర్ణాలతో రజస్సు (ఎర్ర వర్ణకము) ద్వారా మండలాన్ని గీయాలి; తరువాత షోడశార చక్రాన్ని, దాని లోపల పద్మగర్భమైన చతుర్ముఖ రూపాన్ని స్థాపించాలి।
Unspecified (narrative/ritual instruction context within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa)
Concept: Mandala-making externalizes tattva-knowledge: color, number, and form become a contemplative map of creation and the ordered cosmos.
Application: Use structured practices (diagramming, journaling, breath counts, prayer beads) to stabilize attention; let beauty and order guide the mind toward the sacred.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"On a purified ritual floor, a tattva-knower draws a red circular mandala, then fills it with five colors, forming a radiant sixteen-spoked wheel. At its heart blooms a lotus-womb from which a serene four-faced Brahmā emerges, suggesting creation unfolding from sacred geometry.","primary_figures":["ritual expert (tattvavit)","Brahmā (caturmukha)","attending priests"],"setting":"Inside a yajña-maṇḍapa with a freshly smeared floor, pigment bowls, measuring cords, and a central altar nearby.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["rajasic crimson","saffron","emerald green","lapis blue","chalk white"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a luminous pañcavarṇa mandala on the floor—red circular base, intricate sixteen-spoked chakra, central lotus-womb with four-faced Brahmā; heavy gold leaf outlining spokes and lotus petals, rich vermilion and emerald borders, gem-studded pigment bowls, South Indian pavilion pillars, sacred symmetry and grandeur.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined mandala-drawing scene with delicate brushwork—priest kneeling with pigment bowls, a crisp sixteen-spoked wheel, soft lotus center revealing caturmukha Brahmā; cool balanced palette, fine line geometry, lyrical calm, subtle architectural framing and distant landscape beyond the pavilion.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold geometric mandala with thick black outlines, flat fields of five colors, central lotus with iconic four-faced Brahmā; temple-wall aesthetic, strong reds/yellows/greens, ornamental borders, stylized ritual implements.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornate chakra-lotus mandala with dense floral borders and lotus motifs; sixteen spokes highlighted in gold on deep blue ground, central lotus-womb with Brahmā rendered iconically, symmetrical decorative patterning reminiscent of Nathdwara textiles."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft mantra undertone","brush/powder strokes on floor","single bell at intervals","near-silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: kuryātpaṃcavarṇena = kuryāt + pañca-varṇena; ṣoḍaśāraṃ = ṣoḍaśa-āram (ā + a sandhi); tataścakraṃ = tataḥ + cakram; padmagarbhaṃ = padma-garbham.
FAQs
It prescribes a ritual/meditative construction of a maṇḍala: a circular diagram made with red pigment and five colours, followed by a sixteen-spoked wheel and a central lotus-associated four-faced form (evoking Brahmā).
In Purāṇic and tantric-ritual symbolism, a chakra with fixed counts (like sixteen) and a lotus-center often encode ordered cosmology and principles (tattvas). The lotus especially signals purity and the emergence of creation, commonly associated with Brahmā.
The verse emphasizes disciplined, knowledgeable practice (tattvavit): sacred work is to be done with understanding, precision, and reverence for cosmic order rather than as mere external ritual.