Shloka 9
The Legend of Hemakuṇḍala: Charity, Decline of the Sons, and Yama’s Judgment
तडागं खानयामास विपुलं सागरोपमम् । वाप्यश्च पुष्करिण्यश्च बहुधा तेन कारिताः
taḍāgaṃ khānayāmāsa vipulaṃ sāgaropamam | vāpyaśca puṣkariṇyaśca bahudhā tena kāritāḥ
เขาให้ขุดสระใหญ่ดุจมหาสมุทร และยังให้สร้างบ่อน้ำขั้นบันไดกับสระบัวเป็นอันมากในหลายแห่ง
Narrator (contextual speaker not specified in the provided excerpt)
Concept: Creating water resources for others is a high, enduring merit-act; it supports life, pilgrimage, and ritual purity.
Application: Support water conservation: build/maintain ponds, wells, recharge pits; sponsor clean drinking water points near temples and travel routes.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Workers carve a vast taḍāga whose waters shimmer like a small ocean, while nearby stepped vāpīs descend in geometric terraces and puṣkariṇīs bloom with lotuses. Travelers and ascetics draw water, children play at the edges, and priests sprinkle sanctified water, turning civic engineering into sacred merit.","primary_figures":["The donor-householder","Artisans and laborers","Travelers and ascetics","Temple priest performing water sanctification"],"setting":"Outskirts of a town with newly built stepped wells, lotus ponds, and stone ghāṭs; carts of stone blocks and tools nearby.","lighting_mood":"bright midday clarity with sparkling reflections","color_palette":["aquamarine","sunlit white","sandstone beige","lotus magenta","leaf green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: grand stepped pond with gold-highlighted ripples, symmetrical ghāṭs, lotus clusters, donor supervising with a scroll, priests with kalasha, rich ornamental borders, jewel-toned garments, subtle gold leaf accents on water and architecture.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: elegant terraced vāpī with fine linework, soft turquoise water, small figures drawing water, lotuses rendered delicately, distant trees and hills, airy composition emphasizing serenity and public benefit.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized geometric steps of a well, bold outlines, saturated greens and blues, donor and priest figures with characteristic eyes, decorative water motifs and lotus medallions, temple-wall panel feel.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central lotus pond with concentric floral borders, peacocks near the water, devotees carrying pots, deep blue-green ground with gold detailing, ornate lotus patterns echoing the Padma theme."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["flowing water","stonework tapping","birds near water","distant bells"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: sāgaropamam → sāgara-upamam; vāpyaśca → vāpyāḥ + ca; puṣkariṇyaśca → puṣkariṇyaḥ + ca
FAQs
It presents waterworks—digging tanks and building wells/ponds—as a dharmic act of public benefit that generates religious merit (puṇya), often linked with tirtha-making and charity.
Vāpī commonly denotes a well or step-well/reservoir, while puṣkariṇī denotes a lotus-pond or sacred pond used for bathing and ritual purposes.
The verse implies that serving society through essential infrastructure—especially providing water—counts as a high form of righteous conduct, combining compassion, generosity, and practical stewardship.