Shloka 117
Brahmā’s Puṣkara Sacrifice and the Manifestation of Sarasvatī
with Tīrtha-Merit Teachings
अहिंसैर्धर्मपरमैस्तथा चातीव शोभिता । सुप्रभा कांचनाख्या च प्राची नंदा विशालका
ahiṃsairdharmaparamaistathā cātīva śobhitā | suprabhā kāṃcanākhyā ca prācī naṃdā viśālakā
สถานนั้นงดงามด้วยอหิงสา และยกธรรมะเป็นยอดยิ่ง จึงรุ่งเรืองยิ่งนัก—เรียกว่า สุปรภา และมีนามว่า กาญจนา; ส่วนแดนอื่น ๆ เรียก ปราจี นันดา และวิศาลกา
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context needed from surrounding verses in Adhyāya 18).
Concept: Ahiṃsā and dharma are not merely personal virtues; they are civilizational principles that make a realm ‘resplendent’.
Application: Practice non-violence in speech, consumption, and livelihood; support institutions and habits that reduce harm (kindness, restraint, ethical diet, truthful speech).
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: city
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A radiant, idealized cityscape appears in four directions, each quarter subtly labeled by its name—Suprabhā/Kāñcanā glowing like gold, Prācī bathed in dawn light, Nandā serene with gardens, and Viśālakā broad and spacious. People and animals share streets without fear, embodying ahiṃsā as the city’s living ornament.","primary_figures":["ideal dharmic citizens","gentle animals (cows, deer, birds)","guardian sages (optional)"],"setting":"golden city with wide avenues, garden courtyards, small shrines, and directional gateways; peaceful coexistence of humans and animals","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["gold leaf","sunrise orange","pearl white","emerald green","lapis blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a resplendent golden city (Kāñcanā/Suprabhā) with ornate gateways and shrines, citizens offering water and flowers, animals moving unharmed; heavy gold leaf on architecture and halos of light, rich reds/greens, jewel-like detailing, symmetrical composition suggesting dharmic order.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: four-quarter panoramic city-and-garden scene—Prācī in rosy dawn, Nandā with flowering groves, Viśālakā with broad plazas; delicate figures and animals in harmony, cool mountain-like distance, refined pastel palette with lyrical calm.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized city gates and broad streets, bold outlines; symbolic depiction of ahiṃsā—animals and humans side by side; strong red/yellow/green palette, patterned architectural bands, temple-wall aesthetic radiance.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornate border of lotus and creepers framing a golden dharmic city; symmetrical arrangement of cows, deer, and devotees; deep blue background with gold architecture motifs, floral abundance signifying Nandā, dawn gradient for Prācī."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["temple bells","soft crowd murmur (peaceful)","cooing doves","gentle conch at transitions"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अहिंसैर्धर्मपरमैः = अहिंसैः + धर्मपरमैः; चातीव = च + अतीव; कांचनाख्या = काञ्चन + आख्या (समास/सन्धि); श्लोके स्त्रीलिङ्ग-नद्यादीनां नामानि प्रथमा-एकवचनेन सूचीक्रियन्ते।
FAQs
It presents non-violence (ahiṃsā) and the supremacy of Dharma as defining qualities that make a realm or sacred region “resplendent,” implying ethical virtue as a source of spiritual radiance.
In this verse they function as proper names; in Purāṇic style such names commonly denote regions, sacred locales, or divisions of a realm. Exact identification depends on the surrounding passage in Adhyāya 18.
The verse links true “beauty” and excellence with moral foundations—especially non-violence and commitment to Dharma—rather than with power or wealth alone.