Shloka 20
Prayāga’s Supremacy Among Tīrthas: Faith, Yoga, Charity, and the Ethics of Attainment
तानि कर्माणि पृच्छामि पुनर्यैः प्राप्यते महीम् । मार्कंडेय उवाच । शृणुराजन्महाबाहो यथोक्तकर्म्मणा मही
tāni karmāṇi pṛcchāmi punaryaiḥ prāpyate mahīm | mārkaṃḍeya uvāca | śṛṇurājanmahābāho yathoktakarmmaṇā mahī
“మళ్లీ భూమిని పొందేందుకు ఏ కర్మలు కారణమో నేను అడుగుతున్నాను.” మార్కండేయుడు అన్నాడు—“ఓ రాజా, మహాబాహో! విను—శాస్త్రోక్త కర్మలను ఆచరించితే భూమి లభిస్తుంది.”
Mārkaṇḍeya
Concept: Return to earthly embodiment is governed by properly performed prescribed deeds (vihita-karma), not by whim; dharma structures rebirth and opportunity for further sādhana.
Application: Seek guidance from śāstra/ācārya before adopting practices; do daily duties conscientiously (truthfulness, non-harm, charity) rather than chasing results.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A forest hermitage at the edge of a luminous celestial vista: the king, crowned yet humble, kneels with folded hands before sage Mārkaṇḍeya. The sage gestures toward a palm-leaf manuscript and a symbolic globe of the earth, as if mapping the path from heaven back to embodied dharma.","primary_figures":["Mārkaṇḍeya","a king (narādhipa)","attendant disciples"],"setting":"Āśrama with sacrificial fire, deer-skin seat, palm-leaf texts; distant suggestion of svarga clouds fading into earthly landscape.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["saffron ochre","forest green","smoke gray","lotus pink","antique gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Mārkaṇḍeya seated on a jeweled āsana beside a small homa-kuṇḍa, right hand in teaching mudrā, the king kneeling with ornate crown and silk; gold leaf halos, rich vermilion and emerald borders, gem-studded ornaments, stylized sacred grove and manuscript details.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a quiet Himalayan-like hermitage scene with delicate linework; the sage and king in refined profiles, soft washes of green and blue, a winding path suggesting descent from svarga to earth, lyrical trees and a small fire altar.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, warm yellow-red background, large expressive eyes; Mārkaṇḍeya teaching with palm-leaf text, the king in respectful posture, temple-like āśrama architecture, natural pigment greens and reds.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional border of lotus and tulasi motifs framing a central teaching scene; ornate floral patterns, deep indigo ground with gold highlights, peacocks near the hermitage, the king and sage rendered in Nathdwara-inspired elegance."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["forest birds","crackling sacrificial fire","soft temple bell","gentle wind"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पुनर्यैः = पुनः + यैः; मार्कंडेय = मार्कण्डेय; शृणुराजन्महाबाहो = शृणु + राजन् + महाबाहो; यथोक्तकर्म्मणा = यथा + उक्त + कर्मणा (समास/सन्धि).
FAQs
The speaker is the sage Mārkaṇḍeya, addressing a king (called “rājan,” ‘O king’), described as “mahābāhu,” ‘mighty-armed.’
It frames the topic as a question about which prescribed actions (karma) enable one to “attain the earth again,” and introduces Mārkaṇḍeya’s instruction that following the stated rites and duties leads to that attainment.
The verse emphasizes adherence to yathokta-karma—doing one’s actions according to scriptural or authorized prescription—highlighting disciplined, rule-guided dharma rather than arbitrary action.