Shloka 93
Kurukṣetra and Sarasvatī Tīrthas: Pilgrimage Itinerary and the Sanctification of Rāma-hrada
Paraśurāma’s Lakes
अभिगम्य स्थलद्यं तस्य गोसहस्रफलं लभेत् । ऋणांतं कूपमासाद्य तिलप्रस्थं प्रदाय च
abhigamya sthaladyaṃ tasya gosahasraphalaṃ labhet | ṛṇāṃtaṃ kūpamāsādya tilaprasthaṃ pradāya ca
ผู้ใดไปนมัสการสถานที่ศักดิ์สิทธิ์นั้น ย่อมได้บุญเท่ากับถวายโคหนึ่งพันตัว และเมื่อไปถึงบ่อน้ำที่เป็นหลักเขต ควรถวายงาหนึ่งปรัสถะเป็นทานด้วย
Unspecified (context not provided; likely a narrator continuing a tīrtha-māhātmya instruction within the Svargakhaṇḍa)
Concept: Tīrtha-yātrā is not tourism but a calibrated dharmic act: darśana/abhigamana plus prescribed dāna converts intention into puṇya.
Application: When visiting sacred places, follow local injunctions: offer a small, meaningful donation (food, sesame, lamps) with humility; treat thresholds and wells as moments for inner accounting and forgiveness.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A pilgrim approaches a modest yet radiant tīrtha marked by a stone threshold and a venerable well at the boundary. He measures a prastha of black sesame in a brass vessel and offers it with folded hands, while unseen merit is visualized as subtle golden lotuses rising from the water.","primary_figures":["pilgrim devotee","local tīrtha-priest (optional)","guardian deity presence (subtle)"],"setting":"rural sacred boundary with an old well, banyan tree, small shrine-stone, and a path worn by pilgrims","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["earth ochre","brass gold","sesame black","leaf green","sky pale blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a pilgrim in traditional attire offering a brass measure of sesame at an ancient boundary-well, small shrine with gold-leaf haloed emblem, ornate floral borders, rich reds/greens, gold leaf shimmering on the well’s rim and the unseen deity’s aura.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate countryside tīrtha with a banyan and stone well, pilgrim holding a small measure of sesame; cool greens and soft blues, lyrical naturalism, fine facial features, gentle morning light.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized well and threshold, pilgrim in profile with folded hands, bold outlines, flat pigments; symbolic golden lotuses rising from water to indicate puṇya.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornate border of sesame-flower motifs and lotuses; central well as a sacred mandala, pilgrim offering til; deep blue background with gold highlights, peacocks and floral vines framing the tīrtha."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["well water echo","soft bell from a small shrine","morning birds","footsteps on dust path","murmured sankalpa"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कूपमासाद्य = कूपम् + आसाद्य (म् + आ → मा); other words largely in citation form; gosahasraphalaṃ as compound.
FAQs
The verse praises tīrtha-yātrā (visiting a sacred place) and dāna (offering), specifically a prastha-measure of sesame seeds (tila) at a well associated with a boundary or end-marker.
It is a standard Purāṇic way of expressing extraordinary merit: the spiritual “fruit” equivalent to donating a thousand cows, a highly valued form of charity in dharma literature.
The verse emphasizes that devotion expressed through pilgrimage and modest, purposeful giving (like tila-dāna) is a concrete, accessible path to accruing puṇya (religious merit).