Shloka 29
Praise of Digging Wells and Building Water-Reservoirs
The Merit of Water-Works
एतस्मिन्निर्जले देशे शिवं खातं कृतं च मे । स्नानपानादिकं कर्म सर्वे कुर्वंत्यभीष्टतः
etasminnirjale deśe śivaṃ khātaṃ kṛtaṃ ca me | snānapānādikaṃ karma sarve kurvaṃtyabhīṣṭataḥ
اس بے آب خطّے میں میں نے شِو کا کنواں کھدوایا اور بنوایا ہے۔ یہاں سب لوگ اپنی خواہش کے مطابق غسل، پینا اور دیگر اعمال کرتے ہیں۔
Unspecified (contextual narrator/speaker not provided in the single-verse input)
Concept: Providing water enables snāna and pāna—supporting both bodily life and ritual purity; public welfare becomes a vehicle of merit.
Application: Support clean water initiatives (wells, tanks, filtration) as a living form of dana; treat infrastructure as sacred service, not self-advertisement.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: city
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"In a parched landscape cracked with heat, a newly dug stone-lined well gleams with cool water, marked by a small emblem of Śiva. Villagers gather with brass pots—some bathing at a nearby trough, others drinking—turning a harsh desert into a place of purity and relief.","primary_figures":["well-builder/patron","villagers (men, women, children)","a small Śiva emblem or liṅga marker"],"setting":"Arid terrain with sparse shrubs; stone well with pulley and rope; a small platform for bathing and a shaded rest area for travelers.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["sand beige","stone slate","water turquoise","copper bronze","white ash"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a sacred public well in a desert-like region; villagers drawing water with brass pots, some performing snāna; a small Śiva emblem on the well shrine; gold leaf highlights on water ripples and ornaments, rich earthy reds/greens, devotional framing of civic service.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: lyrical arid landscape with delicate shading; central stone well with turquoise water; villagers in gentle motion carrying pots; soft dawn light, cool-water contrast against warm sands, refined faces and calm communal mood.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized well and pulley; villagers with pots in rhythmic arrangement; warm pigments with striking turquoise water; sacred marker of Śiva integrated into temple-wall aesthetic.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central well as a lotus-like mandala of water; ornate borders with repeating pot and lotus motifs; villagers in devotional service; deep blues and gold emphasizing water’s sanctity amid dryness."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["water drawn by rope","pots clinking","gentle wind over dry land","distant temple bell"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: etasminnirjale = etasmin + nirjale; kurvaṃtyabhīṣṭataḥ = kurvanti + abhīṣṭataḥ (final i + a sandhi).
FAQs
It highlights deliberate construction of a water source (a Śiva-well) in an arid place so that pilgrims can still perform essential rites like bathing and drinking.
It frames them as accessible and adaptable—people perform bathing, drinking, and related acts “as they desire,” implying facilitation rather than coercion.
Supporting others’ religious and daily needs—especially by providing water in a difficult landscape—is presented as a meritorious, community-oriented act.