Shloka 54
The Account and Merit of Śivadūtī
with the Nāga-tīrtha at Puṣkara
पुण्यं तत्सर्वतीर्थानां सर्पाणां विषनाशनम् । मज्जन्ति तत्र ये मर्त्या अधिश्रावण पंचमि
puṇyaṃ tatsarvatīrthānāṃ sarpāṇāṃ viṣanāśanam | majjanti tatra ye martyā adhiśrāvaṇa paṃcami
ఆ స్థలం/వ్రతం సమస్త తీర్థాలలో అత్యంత పుణ్యప్రదం; సర్పవిషాన్ని నశింపజేస్తుంది. శ్రావణ మాస పంచమినాడు అక్కడ స్నానం చేసే మానవులు దాని ఫలాన్ని పొందుతారు।
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context needed to confirm the dialogue frame, e.g., Pulastya–Bhīṣma or Śiva–Pārvatī).
Concept: Merit intensifies when sacred place and sacred time converge; ritual bathing can be framed as both physical and karmic detoxification.
Application: Choose a disciplined day for purification practices (bath, prayer, charity, mantra-japa); treat ‘poison’ as both literal harm and metaphor for anger, envy, addiction—seek cleansing through regulated vows.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Pilgrims descend stone steps into a luminous sacred pool while a gentle river-current glides outward, suggesting the tīrtha’s dual identity. Above the water, translucent serpent-hoods form a protective canopy, and the air feels medicinal—like the world itself is being detoxified on Śrāvaṇa pañcamī.","primary_figures":["pilgrims (men and women)","Nāgas (protective presences)","a presiding ṛṣi/priest marking pañcamī"],"setting":"Ghāṭa at a forest tīrtha with calendrical markers—hanging mango leaves, ritual pots, and a pañcāmī tithi banner-like cloth near a small shrine.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["turquoise","moon-white","marigold orange","leaf green","bronze"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Śrāvaṇa pañcamī snāna at Nāga-tīrtha, pilgrims in traditional attire entering a gem-like kuṇḍa, Nāgas with jeweled hoods forming an arch, gold leaf shimmering on water ripples and ornaments, rich reds/greens, ornate shrine elements, stylized lotuses, intricate border with serpent and conch motifs.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: monsoon-season Śrāvaṇa atmosphere with soft rain clouds, pilgrims bathing in a clear pool that becomes a stream, delicate Nāga forms in pale iridescence, refined faces and gentle gestures, cool blues and moss greens, lyrical trees bending in monsoon breeze, fine brushwork and subtle highlights.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined figures performing snāna, ritual pots and lamps on the ghāṭa, Nāga guardians with patterned hoods, warm earthy reds and yellows with green accents, temple-wall composition, rhythmic wave patterns in the water, auspicious symbols (śaṅkha, cakra) subtly integrated.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a tīrtha scene framed by dense lotus borders, stylized water filled with lotuses, peacocks on the banks, Nāga motifs woven into floral patterns, deep indigo and gold highlights, celebratory devotional feel, intricate textile-like detailing suitable for a ritual calendar tableau."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["flowing water","conch shell","temple bells","monsoon rain (soft)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तत्सर्वतीर्थानाम् = तत् + सर्वतीर्थानाम्. ‘अधिश्रावण’ अव्ययीभावसमासः (अधि + श्रावण) कालवाचकः।
FAQs
It presents the tīrtha (or the associated observance) as exceptionally potent—“most meritorious among all tīrthas”—and credits it with a protective, healing function: the removal of serpent-poison.
The verse ties the benefit specifically to bathing/immersion performed on the Pañcamī tithi during the month of Śrāvaṇa, indicating a calendrical (tithi-and-month) timing for heightened ritual efficacy.
It encourages disciplined observance—undertaking purification and pilgrimage at prescribed times—and frames sacred practice as protective and welfare-oriented (removing harm, symbolized by poison).