Shloka 48
The Glory of Śrāddha at Sacred Fords and the Determination of the Kutapa Time
जामदग्न्यस्य तत्तीर्थं मोदायतनमुत्तमम् । प्रतीकस्य भयात्सिद्धा यत्र गोदावरी नदी
jāmadagnyasya tattīrthaṃ modāyatanamuttamam | pratīkasya bhayātsiddhā yatra godāvarī nadī
ตีน้ำศักดิ์สิทธิ์ของชามทัคนยะนั้น คือศาสนสถานอันประเสริฐชื่อโมทายตนะ; ณ ที่ซึ่งแม่น้ำโคทาวรีไหล และเป็นแดนให้สัมฤทธิ์เพราะความเกรงกลัวต่อประตีกะ
Unspecified narrator (context-dependent within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa 11)
Concept: Contact with a consecrated place (tīrtha) transforms ordinary acts into siddhi-bearing spiritual practice.
Application: Choose a sacred setting (riverbank, temple, Tulasi altar) for japa, charity, and remembrance; let even past difficulties become fuel for steadiness in sādhana.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"On a broad Godāvarī ghat, a modest yet radiant shrine labeled Modāyatana rises amid ancient banyans. Pilgrims pause at the ford as the river glows with sanctity; a subtle, shadowy aura of ‘Pratīka-bhaya’ lingers like a remembered trial that made the place siddha.","primary_figures":["Pilgrims (brāhmaṇas and householders)","River-goddess Godāvarī (personified)","Paraśurāma/Rama Jāmadagnya (as a distant visionary presence)"],"setting":"Godāvarī riverbank tīrtha with stone steps, small sanctum, prayer flags/garlands, and forest edge","lighting_mood":"golden dawn with divine radiance on the water","color_palette":["sapphire blue","river-emerald","lotus pink","saffron ochre","gold leaf"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Modāyatana shrine on the Godāvarī with a small vimāna, gold-leaf haloed river-goddess rising from waves, Paraśurāma as a subtle icon in the upper corner, richly ornamented borders, deep reds and greens, gem-studded jewelry, luminous gold highlights on the ghat steps and water ripples.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a lyrical Godāvarī bend with delicate ghats, soft mist, slender pilgrims carrying lotā and flowers, a tiny Modāyatana temple nestled under trees, cool blues and greens, refined faces, gentle narrative of awe and remembered fear conveyed through posture and spacing.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined Godāvarī personified with stylized waves, Modāyatana shrine frontal, Paraśurāma with axe as a symbolic guardian, traditional red/yellow/green pigments, large expressive eyes, temple-wall symmetry and sacred geometry motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornate floral borders with lotus and Tulasi motifs, the Godāvarī rendered as patterned blue bands, central shrine framed like a haveli-arch, peacocks near the ghat, intricate gold detailing, devotional ambience emphasizing tīrtha-sevā."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["flowing water","temple bells","conch shell (distant)","morning birds"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तत्तीर्थम् = तत् + तीर्थम्; मोदायतनमुत्तमम् = मोद-आयतनम् + उत्तमम्; भयात्सिद्धा = भयात् + सिद्धा.
FAQs
It locates a named tīrtha—Modāyatana—connected with Jāmadagnya and explicitly places it on the Godāvarī, illustrating how Purāṇic texts map holiness onto specific rivers and sites.
Indirectly: by highlighting a tīrtha associated with revered figures and a sacred river, it supports the Purāṇic devotional culture where pilgrimage and remembrance of holy beings become devotional acts.
The verse suggests that actions and consequences (here framed as “fear of Pratīka”) can sanctify a place in collective memory, reinforcing the Purāṇic theme that moral power and accountability shape sacred history and landscape.