Shloka 172
Brahmā’s Puṣkara Sacrifice: Ṛtvij System, Sāvitrī’s Reconciliation, Tīrtha-Catalogue, Śrāddha & Initiation Rites, and Vrata Fruits
किमत्र बहुनोक्तेन इदमस्तीह शंकर । अप्राप्यं प्राप्यते तेन पापं चापि विनश्यति
kimatra bahunoktena idamastīha śaṃkara | aprāpyaṃ prāpyate tena pāpaṃ cāpi vinaśyati
یہاں زیادہ کہنے سے کیا حاصل، اے شَنکر؟ بات یہی ہے کہ اس کے ذریعے جو ناقابلِ حصول ہے وہ بھی حاصل ہو جاتا ہے، اور گناہ بھی مٹ جاتا ہے۔
Unspecified (addressing Śaṅkara/Śiva directly)
Concept: A single potent dharmic means (here, the yātrā/vidhi) can grant what seems unattainable; sincere engagement with sacred means brings pāpa-nāśa and siddhi.
Application: When overwhelmed, focus on one complete, well-done spiritual practice (pilgrimage, vow, daily japa, service) rather than scattered efforts; let it reset your trajectory.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A luminous tīrtha vision unfolds: Śaṅkara stands in contemplative awe as a radiant lake and shrine appear like a mandala, and a devotee steps into the water—dark karmic shadows breaking apart into sparks of light. The scene feels like a final pronouncement, the cosmos briefly aligning around a single sacred act.","primary_figures":["Śaṅkara (Śiva)","devotee pilgrim","tīrtha-priest (optional)","subtle celestial witnesses (gandharvas)"],"setting":"Mythicized Puṣkara-sarovar rendered as a cosmic mandala with ghats and a distant shrine.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["electric sapphire","radiant gold","ash white","crimson","pearl"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Śaṅkara at one side in serene awe, central mandala-like Pushkar Lake with a devotee entering the water, sins as dark motifs dissolving into gold sparks; heavy gold leaf radiance, gem-like ornamentation, ornate borders with lotus, trident, conch, and chakra symbols.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: poetic cosmic lakescape, Śaṅkara observing, devotee at the ghat, delicate dissolving shadow forms; cool blues and pearly whites with restrained gold, refined faces, airy composition.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined Śaṅkara and devotee, stylized lake as circular mandala, dramatic contrast of dark pāpa forms and bright radiance; red-yellow-green palette with white/blue accents, temple-wall grandeur.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central circular lake-mandala filled with lotus motifs, Śaṅkara as a respectful witness at the margin, devotee in the center; deep blue ground, gold lotus filigree, intricate floral borders, peacocks and swans as auspicious motifs."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["conch shell","temple bells swelling then stopping","wind over water","low thunder-like drone","sudden silence at the end"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: bahunā+uktena→bahunoktena; idam+asti+iha→idamastīha; ca+api→cāpi.
FAQs
It summarizes the efficacy of a certain sacred means (context-dependent): it grants even difficult-to-obtain results and destroys sin, making further elaboration unnecessary.
Śaṅkara is a common epithet of Lord Śiva, meaning “the beneficent” or “the auspicious one.”
The verse stresses confidence in a prescribed dharmic or sacred practice: sincere engagement can purify wrongdoing (pāpa) and lead to higher attainments that seem otherwise unreachable.