Shloka 18
The Greatness of Prayāga: Fruits of Pilgrimage, Remembrance, and Cow-Gift
स्वर्णशृंगीं रौप्यखुरां चैलकंठीं पयस्विनीम् । प्रयागे श्रोत्रियं साधुं ग्राहयित्वा यथाविधि
svarṇaśṛṃgīṃ raupyakhurāṃ cailakaṃṭhīṃ payasvinīm | prayāge śrotriyaṃ sādhuṃ grāhayitvā yathāvidhi
ณ เมืองประยาค ตามพิธีอันถูกต้อง ได้ให้พราหมณ์ผู้เป็นศฺโรตริยะ ผู้ทรงศีลเป็นสาธุชน รับทานเป็นโคให้น้ำนม มีเขาทอง กีบเงิน และคอผูกผ้าตามแบบแผน
Not explicitly stated in the provided single verse (context needed from surrounding verses).
Concept: Sāttvika charity requires proper recipient (śrotriya-sādhu) and proper procedure (yathāvidhi), not merely the object given.
Application: When donating, prioritize integrity: verify need and character, follow ethical procedure, and avoid performative giving; let generosity be structured and respectful.
Primary Rasa: dharma
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"On the Prayāga ghat, a milch-cow stands adorned: golden horns catching the sun, silvered hooves gleaming, and a cloth-wrapped neck like a ceremonial garland. A dignified śrotriya-sādhu receives the gift with calm gravity as attendants hold ritual vessels and kusa grass, the rivers’ meeting currents shimmering behind.","primary_figures":["śrotriya brāhmaṇa (sādhu)","dvija donor","milch-cow with golden horns and silver hooves","ritual attendants"],"setting":"Stone ghat at the saṅgama with a small fire-altar, water pots, cloth bundles, and pilgrims in the distance.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["molten gold","sterling silver","ivory white","river teal","maroon cloth-red"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: richly ornamented cow with gold-leaf horns and embossed jewelry; śrotriya in white with serene face, donor offering with folded hands; gold-leaf highlights on river ripples and ritual vessels, deep red-green borders, gem-like detailing on ornaments.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: elegant, restrained ceremony at a cool-toned riverbank; fine brushwork on the cow’s cloth-bound neck and metallic accents; soft dawn gradients, delicate figures with refined expressions, lyrical landscape with distant ghats and trees.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: iconic frontal cow with stylized gold horns and silver hooves; bold outlines, flat pigments; priests and donor arranged symmetrically, saṅgama currents shown as two colored bands meeting; temple-wall solemnity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornate border of lotuses and creepers; central ceremonial cow-dāna scene at Prayāga; stylized river lotuses, peacocks at corners, deep indigo ground with gold motifs, devotional textile rhythm."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["mantra murmurs","flowing water","bell chimes","rustle of cloth","low conch note"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स्वर्णशृंगीं → स्वर्ण + शृङ्गीम् (बहुव्रीहिः); रौप्यखुरां → रौप्य + खुराम्; चैलकंठीं → चैल + कण्ठीम्; यथाविधि → यथा + विधि (अव्ययीभावः).
FAQs
It describes a regulated act of dāna (religious gifting), specifically gifting a milch-cow to a qualified recipient (a śrotriya, Veda-learned Brahmin) at the sacred site of Prayāga, performed yathāvidhi (according to prescribed rules).
In dharma literature, gifts are ideally given to a qualified, disciplined, Veda-trained recipient; specifying śrotriya and sādhu emphasizes proper eligibility so the act of dāna is ritually and ethically “well-placed.”
Prayāga is presented as a tīrtha (sacred ford/pilgrimage center) where meritorious acts like properly conducted charity are especially emphasized in Purāṇic tradition.