Shloka 172
Brahmā’s Puṣkara Sacrifice: Ṛtvij System, Sāvitrī’s Reconciliation, Tīrtha-Catalogue, Śrāddha & Initiation Rites, and Vrata Fruits
किमत्र बहुनोक्तेन इदमस्तीह शंकर । अप्राप्यं प्राप्यते तेन पापं चापि विनश्यति
kimatra bahunoktena idamastīha śaṃkara | aprāpyaṃ prāpyate tena pāpaṃ cāpi vinaśyati
ఓ శంకరా, ఇక్కడ ఎక్కువగా చెప్పడం వల్ల ప్రయోజనం ఏమిటి? దీని ద్వారా పొందలేనిది కూడా లభిస్తుంది మరియు పాపం కూడా నశిస్తుంది.
Unspecified (addressing Śaṅkara/Śiva directly)
Concept: A single potent dharmic means (here, the yātrā/vidhi) can grant what seems unattainable; sincere engagement with sacred means brings pāpa-nāśa and siddhi.
Application: When overwhelmed, focus on one complete, well-done spiritual practice (pilgrimage, vow, daily japa, service) rather than scattered efforts; let it reset your trajectory.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A luminous tīrtha vision unfolds: Śaṅkara stands in contemplative awe as a radiant lake and shrine appear like a mandala, and a devotee steps into the water—dark karmic shadows breaking apart into sparks of light. The scene feels like a final pronouncement, the cosmos briefly aligning around a single sacred act.","primary_figures":["Śaṅkara (Śiva)","devotee pilgrim","tīrtha-priest (optional)","subtle celestial witnesses (gandharvas)"],"setting":"Mythicized Puṣkara-sarovar rendered as a cosmic mandala with ghats and a distant shrine.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["electric sapphire","radiant gold","ash white","crimson","pearl"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Śaṅkara at one side in serene awe, central mandala-like Pushkar Lake with a devotee entering the water, sins as dark motifs dissolving into gold sparks; heavy gold leaf radiance, gem-like ornamentation, ornate borders with lotus, trident, conch, and chakra symbols.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: poetic cosmic lakescape, Śaṅkara observing, devotee at the ghat, delicate dissolving shadow forms; cool blues and pearly whites with restrained gold, refined faces, airy composition.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined Śaṅkara and devotee, stylized lake as circular mandala, dramatic contrast of dark pāpa forms and bright radiance; red-yellow-green palette with white/blue accents, temple-wall grandeur.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central circular lake-mandala filled with lotus motifs, Śaṅkara as a respectful witness at the margin, devotee in the center; deep blue ground, gold lotus filigree, intricate floral borders, peacocks and swans as auspicious motifs."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["conch shell","temple bells swelling then stopping","wind over water","low thunder-like drone","sudden silence at the end"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: bahunā+uktena→bahunoktena; idam+asti+iha→idamastīha; ca+api→cāpi.
FAQs
It summarizes the efficacy of a certain sacred means (context-dependent): it grants even difficult-to-obtain results and destroys sin, making further elaboration unnecessary.
Śaṅkara is a common epithet of Lord Śiva, meaning “the beneficent” or “the auspicious one.”
The verse stresses confidence in a prescribed dharmic or sacred practice: sincere engagement can purify wrongdoing (pāpa) and lead to higher attainments that seem otherwise unreachable.