Shloka 174
Puṣkara Mahatmya: Brahmā’s Lotus-Tīrtha, Sacrifice, Initiation, and Kṣetra-Dharma
इष्टिर्धृतिः सोमपानां यज्ञीयं कर्म सर्वशः । ऋग्यजुःसामजाप्यानि संहिताध्ययनानि च
iṣṭirdhṛtiḥ somapānāṃ yajñīyaṃ karma sarvaśaḥ | ṛgyajuḥsāmajāpyāni saṃhitādhyayanāni ca
سوم پینے والوں کے یَجنیہ اعمال اور ضبط و استقامت کے سادھن—یعنی یَجیہ سے وابستہ تمام کرم—ان میں رِگ، یَجُر اور سام وید کے پاٹھ، جپ کے لیے تکرار، اور سنہتاؤں کا ادھیین بھی شامل ہے۔
Unspecified (narrative context not provided in the input excerpt)
Concept: All yajña-related acts include iṣṭi, disciplines of soma-sacrificers, and especially Vedic recitation—Ṛg, Yajus, Sāman—along with japa and Saṃhitā study.
Application: Commit to daily sacred study/recitation (even brief), maintain accuracy and humility, and treat learning as worship rather than mere scholarship.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A soma-yajña unfolds with priests seated in precise formations, each chanting from palm-leaf manuscripts marked with Vedic accents, while a soma-pressing stone and wooden trough sit nearby. In the background, a quiet gurukula veranda shows students repeating saṃhitā lines in unison, their voices visualized as flowing ribbons of script rising into the sky.","primary_figures":["Vedic priests (hotṛ, adhvaryu, udgātṛ)","brahmacārin students","a presiding ācārya"],"setting":"A śrauta yajña-śālā with soma-press, vedi, kuśa, ladles; adjacent gurukula study space with palm-leaf texts.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["soma green","parchment beige","smoke blue","copper","sunlit gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: elaborate soma-yajña with three principal priests chanting, palm-leaf manuscripts, soma-pressing implements, and a radiant altar; gold leaf for sacred sound motifs and firelight, rich jewel-toned garments, ornate borders with Vedic symbols, detailed jewelry and ritual vessels.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: serene scholarly yajña scene with delicate linework, priests in calm postures, subtle smoke and mantra-script motifs, cool natural background, refined faces, careful depiction of manuscripts and instruments, gentle sunlight.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: iconic arrangement of priests with bold outlines, stylized manuscripts and soma tools, rhythmic repetition of forms, red-yellow-green palette with black contours, decorative border of lotus and conch, large expressive eyes.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: mandala-like arrangement of chanting priests around a central altar, script-ribbons forming floral patterns, deep blue ground with gold and white detailing, ornate borders and repeated motifs, symmetrical devotional geometry."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["layered Vedic chanting","soma pressing thud","fire crackle","rustle of palm leaves","long pauses of silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: इष्टिः + धृतिः → इष्टिर्धृतिः (विसर्ग-सन्धि); ऋक्-यजुः-साम-जाप्यानि → ऋग्यजुःसामजाप्यानि (समास/व्यञ्जन-सन्धि); संहिता-अध्ययनानि → संहिताध्ययनानि (आ-आ सन्धि)
FAQs
It groups sacrificial rites and observances with Vedic recitation (Ṛg/Yajur/Sāma), japa-style repetition, and the study of the Vedic Saṃhitās as integral components of yajña-related practice.
They are the qualified participants in Soma sacrifices—those who ritually partake of Soma in the context of Vedic yajña—used here as a representative class of performers of Soma-yāga.
It emphasizes disciplined, comprehensive sacred practice: ritual action is not isolated from scriptural learning and mantra-repetition; steadiness (dhṛti) and Vedic study are presented as supporting pillars of sacrificial life.