Shloka 27

Account of Various Sacred Tīrthas

Pilgrimage Merits and Prayāga Supremacy

Devanagari script

त्रिरात्रमुषितस्तत्र गोसहस्रफलं लभेत् । निदर्शनं च प्रत्यक्षं ब्राह्मणानां नराधिप

Transliteration

trirātramuṣitastatra gosahasraphalaṃ labhet | nidarśanaṃ ca pratyakṣaṃ brāhmaṇānāṃ narādhipa

Translation

ข้าแต่มหาราช ผู้ใดพำนัก ณ ที่นั้นสามราตรี ย่อมได้ผลบุญเสมอการถวายโคหนึ่งพันตัว; และพราหมณ์ทั้งหลายเป็นพยานอันประจักษ์แจ้งต่อบุญนั้น

Word by Word

• tri-rātram: for three nights
• tri-rātram: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण) (duration/time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + rātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास: 'three nights' (duration)

• uṣitaḥ: having stayed
• uṣitaḥ: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्तृ-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uṣita (कृदन्त; √vas 'to dwell' → उषित 'having stayed')
• Form: Past participle (क्त), Puṃliṅga, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; used predicatively for the implied 'naraḥ'

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण) (location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, adverb (देशवाचक): 'there'

• go-sahasra-phalam: the fruit (merit) of a thousand cows
• go-sahasra-phalam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'fruit of a thousand cows'

• labhet: would obtain
• labhet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• nidarśanam: a proof/example
• nidarśanam: Karta (कर्ता) (nominal predicate/topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nidarśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: None (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, conjunction (समुच्चय): 'and'

• pratyakṣam: direct/visible
• pratyakṣam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pratyakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; agrees with 'nidarśanam'

• brāhmaṇānām: of the Brahmins
• brāhmaṇānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध) (genitive: 'of the brāhmaṇas')
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• nara-adhipa: O ruler of men
• nara-adhipa: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक) + adhipa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'lord of men'

Speaker

Unspecified narrator addressing a king (narādhipa)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: tirtha

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: trirātram + uṣitaḥ → trirātramuṣitaḥ (a + u → au, written as 'mu' by sandhi in continuous text); nara + adhipa → narādhipa (a + a → ā).

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What religious act is being praised in this verse?

The verse praises staying at a sacred place (tīrtha/holy site) for three nights, stating it yields merit comparable to donating a thousand cows.

Why are Brahmins called a “direct proof” (pratyakṣa nidarśana) here?

In Purāṇic idiom, serving, honoring, or witnessing Brahmins is treated as a tangible sign of religious merit—something visible in the social-religious sphere, unlike unseen karmic results.

What ethical lesson does the verse emphasize for a ruler?

It underscores reverence for sacred observances and respect for Brahmins, presenting these as kingly virtues that support dharma and public religious life.