Shloka 16

The Glory of Tulasī and Dhātrī (Āmalakī): Protection from Yama and Attainment of Vaikuṇṭha

Devanagari script

स्पृशेच्च यानि लोमानि धात्रीमाला कलौ नृणाम् । तावद्वर्षसहस्राणि वसते केशवालये

Transliteration

spṛśecca yāni lomāni dhātrīmālā kalau nṛṇām | tāvadvarṣasahasrāṇi vasate keśavālaye

Translation

کلی یگ میں دھاتری (آملکی) کی مالا جس قدر انسان کے بالوں کو چھو لے، اتنے ہی ہزار برس وہ کیشو کے دھام میں بستا ہے۔

Word by Word

• spṛśet: should touch
• spṛśet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: spṛś (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्, Optative), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय-निपात)

• yāni: which (those)
• yāni: Karma (कर्म) (relative object set with 'spṛśet')
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1) or Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Plural (बहुवचन); here as relative to 'lomāni'

• lomāni: hairs (body hairs)
• lomāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Plural (बहुवचन)

• dhātrīmālā: dhātrī (āmalakī) garland
• dhātrīmālā: Karta (कर्ता) (subject of 'spṛśet': 'the dhātrī-garland should touch...')
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhātrī + mālā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa compound; Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); components: dhātrī (धात्री) + mālā (माला)

• kalau: in the Kali age
• kalau: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी/7), Singular (एकवचन); 'in Kali (age)'

• nṛṇām: of men
• nṛṇām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Plural (बहुवचन)

• tāvat: for that long
• tāvat: Kāla-parimāṇa (काल-परिमाण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय/सर्वनाम-प्रयोग)
• Form: Correlative adverb (परिमाणवाचक-अव्यय) meaning 'so much/for that long'

• varṣasahasrāṇi: thousands of years
• varṣasahasrāṇi: Kāla-adhvana (काल-अध्वानम्) (duration with 'vasate')
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa compound; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Plural (बहुवचन); components: varṣa (वर्ष) + sahasra (सहस्र)

• vasate: dwells
• vasate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vas (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्, Present), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• keśavālaye: in Keśava's abode
• keśavālaye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: keśava + ālaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa compound; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी/7), Singular (एकवचन); components: keśava (केशव) + ālaya (आलय)

Speaker

Not explicitly indicated in the provided excerpt (context-dependent within Brahma-khaṇḍa narration)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: celestial_realm

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: spṛśet+ca→spṛśecca; varṣa+sahasrāṇi→varṣasahasrāṇi; keśava+ālaye→keśavālaye.

Characters & Entities

• Keśava

FAQs

What practice is praised in this verse?

The verse praises wearing or using a dhātrī (āmalakī) garland, stating that it grants prolonged residence in Keśava’s abode.

Why does the verse specify the Kali age (Kali-yuga)?

It frames the practice as especially efficacious in Kali-yuga, a period often described in Purāṇic literature as spiritually challenging, where accessible devotional acts yield great merit.

What is the ethical or devotional lesson conveyed?

It emphasizes simple, embodied devotional observances (like sacred garlands associated with Viṣṇu/Keśava) and highlights faith-driven practice as a means to attain divine proximity.