Shloka 152
The Account and Merit of Śivadūtī
with the Nāga-tīrtha at Puṣkara
न तत्राग्निभयं घोरं सर्वचोरादिसंभवं । यश्चेदं पूजयेद्भक्त्या पुस्तकेपि स्थितं बुधाः
na tatrāgnibhayaṃ ghoraṃ sarvacorādisaṃbhavaṃ | yaścedaṃ pūjayedbhaktyā pustakepi sthitaṃ budhāḥ
అక్కడ భయంకరమైన అగ్నిభయం లేదు; దొంగలు మొదలైనవారివల్ల కలిగే ప్రమాదమూ లేదు. ఓ బుధులారా, ఇది పుస్తకంలో ఉన్నప్పటికీ భక్తితో పూజించువాడు ఆ రక్షణను, పుణ్యఫలాన్ని పొందుతాడు.
Unspecified (context-dependent within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa narratives; likely a Purāṇic narrator addressing listeners as 'budhāḥ')
Concept: Devotional worship of sacred teaching—even in book form—creates a protective field that removes fear (fire, theft, calamity).
Application: Maintain a respectful place for sacred books; offer a simple flower/incense, keep the area clean, and read a few lines daily—treating knowledge as worship, not mere information.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: temple
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Inside a humble home shrine, a sacred book rests on a cloth-covered stand, adorned with flowers and a small lamp. Outside the doorway, symbolic threats—flames and shadowy thieves—halt at an invisible boundary, unable to cross the sanctified space created by devotional book-worship.","primary_figures":["householder devotee","sacred book (personified as radiant)","symbolic figures of fire and thieves (as subdued shadows)"],"setting":"domestic puja corner with book-stand, lamp, incense, and protective threshold","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["warm amber","midnight blue","marigold orange","copper","white lotus"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a home shrine with a sacred book on a decorated pedestal, thick gold-leaf aura emanating from the book; devotee offering flowers and lamp; at the border, stylized flames and thief-figures recoil, rendered as subdued dark forms; rich reds/greens, ornate gold embellishment, traditional iconography of protection.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: cozy interior with a small lamp and flower offerings before a manuscript; outside, faint shadowy figures and a hint of fire stop at the threshold; delicate brushwork, soft nocturnal blues, gentle warm lamp glow, refined domestic realism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, flat pigments; central book-stand with lamp and flowers, devotee in iconic posture; stylized fire and thief motifs at the periphery constrained by a protective circular mandala; red/yellow/green palette with strong decorative borders.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central sacred book on a pedestal framed by lotus garlands and intricate borders; protective motifs (conch, chakra, lotus) form a mandala around it; peripheral dark silhouettes of danger kept outside; deep blues and gold, floral abundance, devotional symmetry."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["steady oil-lamp flicker","soft bells","night silence","distant dogs muted","gentle mantra hum"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तत्राग्निभयम् = तत्र + अग्निभयम्; यश्चेदम् = यः + च + इदम्; पूजयेद्भक्त्या = पूजयेत् + भक्त्या (त् + भ → द्भ); पुस्तकेपि = पुस्तके + अपि.
FAQs
It recommends devotional worship (pūjā) of “this” sacred object/teaching, stating that even honoring it as written in a book (a manuscript or scripture) is spiritually effective.
The key condition is bhaktyā—devotion. The verse presents devotion as sufficient even without a grand external setting, since worship can be directed to the scripture itself.
It encourages reverence for sacred knowledge and consistent devotional practice, suggesting that such devotion brings safeguarding from calamities symbolized by fire and theft.