Shloka 170
Viśokā Dvādaśī Vow, Guḍa-Dhenū (Jaggery-Cow) Gift, and Śaila-Dāna (Mountain-Charity) Rites
अनेन विधिना दद्याद्घृताचलमनुत्तमम् । महापातकयुक्तोपि लोकमायाति शांभवम्
anena vidhinā dadyādghṛtācalamanuttamam | mahāpātakayuktopi lokamāyāti śāṃbhavam
Sa itinakdang paraan, kung ihahandog ang walang kapantay na Ghṛtācala, kahit nabibigatan ng malalaking kasalanan, makaaabot siya sa daigdig ni Śambhu (Śiva).
Not specified in the provided excerpt (context required from surrounding verses of Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa 21).
Concept: Properly performed dāna, even by a grievous sinner, can purify and grant exalted post-mortem attainment.
Application: Practice generosity with integrity and correct procedure; pair giving with repentance and disciplined conduct rather than despairing over past mistakes.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A penitent householder offers a gleaming ‘Ghṛtācala’—a stylized mountain-shaped mass of clarified butter—upon a sanctified altar, while priests chant and pour ghee into a small fire. Above, a translucent vision of Śambhu’s realm opens like a luminous gateway, suggesting liberation from heavy sin through exact ritual giving.","primary_figures":["Donor (gṛhastha)","Vedic priest (ṛtvik)","Śiva (as Śambhu, visionary)"],"setting":"Ritual courtyard with yajña-kuṇḍa, kusa grass, copper vessels of ghee, and a distant silhouette of a sacred shrine","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["ghee-gold","ash-white","rudraksha-brown","vermillion red","smoky indigo"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a central altar with a mountain-shaped golden Ghṛtācala offering, priests in white dhotis chanting beside a small yajña fire; in the upper register Śambhu appears in a radiant aureole with trident and crescent moon, heavy gold leaf halos, rich maroon and emerald borders, gem-studded ornaments, ornate arch (prabhāmaṇḍala) framing the divine vision.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate courtyard dāna scene with delicate linework—donor kneeling before a small fire altar, ghee vessels and a stylized butter-mountain; soft atmospheric wash reveals a faint celestial opening with Śambhu’s silhouette, cool greys and warm saffron accents, refined faces, lyrical trees and a distant hill shrine.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and flat natural pigments—donor and priest flanking a bright yellow-gold Ghṛtācala on a lotus pedestal; Śambhu in the upper panel with large expressive eyes, crescent moon, and trident, red-yellow-green palette, temple-wall composition with decorative floral bands.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional offering tableau with ornate lotus borders and hanging lamps; the Ghṛtācala rendered as a golden mound on a lotus, attendants and priests in rhythmic symmetry; celestial motifs above (cloud scrolls, bells), deep indigo ground with gold detailing and floral filigree."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["low yajña-fire crackle","soft temple bells","conch shell (distant)","measured Vedic chanting","brief silence after ‘śāmbhavam’"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दद्याद्घृताचलम् = दद्यāt + घृताचलम्; महापातकयुक्तोपि = महापातकयुक्तः + अपि; लोकमायाति = लोकम् + आयाति
FAQs
It teaches that a properly performed, highly meritorious donation (here called Ghṛtācala) has powerful purificatory merit—so strong that even a person associated with grave sins can attain Śiva’s realm.
Yes. The stated fruit of the act is reaching the ‘śāṃbhava’ world (Śiva’s realm), which reflects a Śaiva-oriented soteriological promise within this section.
The verse implies that sincere, rule-guided giving (dāna) and ritual propriety can function as a means of moral rehabilitation, emphasizing accountability alongside a pathway for purification.