Shloka 3
Praise of Digging Wells and Building Water-Reservoirs
The Merit of Water-Works
पुष्करिण्या विशेषेण पूता या यज्ञकर्मणा । यत्फलं जलदानेन सर्वमत्रास्यि तच्छृणु
puṣkariṇyā viśeṣeṇa pūtā yā yajñakarmaṇā | yatphalaṃ jaladānena sarvamatrāsyi tacchṛṇu
سنو: یَجْن کے اعمال سے خاص طور پر پاک کی گئی پُشکرِنی (مقدس حوض) یہاں آب دان (جَل دان) کے صدقے سے جو ثواب پیدا ہوتا ہے، وہ سب پورا پورا عطا کرتی ہے۔
Unspecified (context-dependent dialogue within Adhyaya 57; likely a narrator/teacher addressing a listener)
Concept: Sacred waters empowered by yajña amplify the merit of toya-dāna; place and ritual consecration intensify ethical giving.
Application: Offer clean drinking water (public pots, tanks, fountains), especially at temples and pilgrimage sites; support maintenance of temple tanks and water bodies.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A lotus-filled puṣkariṇī gleams beside a yajña-vedi, its steps lined with lamps and garlands. Priests complete a fire-offering while devotees pour water into a charity vessel, and the pond’s surface reflects both flame and sky, suggesting that ritual sanctity has entered the waters themselves.","primary_figures":["yajamāna (sacrificer)","ṛtvij priests","devotees performing jala-dāna"],"setting":"Temple tank with stone ghats, adjacent yajña pavilion, lotus blooms and hanging bells","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["lotus pink","deep teal","lamp gold","stone gray","vermillion"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: grand puṣkariṇī with lotus clusters and stepped ghats; yajña fire at one side with priests, devotees offering water into ornate vessels; heavy gold leaf on lamps, water highlights, and halos; rich reds/greens, jewel-like ornamentation, symmetrical temple architecture framing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: serene temple tank scene with delicate lotus rendering, fine ripples, and slender figures; soft evening light, refined facial features, lyrical composition with a small yajña pavilion and distant shrine spire.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized ghats and lotus pond with bold outlines; priests around a bright yajña flame, devotees holding water pots; strong red/yellow/green palette, temple-wall aesthetic with decorative borders.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornate lotus motifs dominating the puṣkariṇī; intricate floral borders, deep indigo water with gold lotuses; devotees offering jala-dāna, a small shrine backdrop, peacocks perched on the border, dense Nathdwara-like detailing."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["temple bells","yajña fire crackle","water pouring","soft Vedic chanting"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यत्फलं → यत् फलम्; सर्वमत्रास्यि → सर्वम् अत्र असि (पाठभेद: ‘अस्यि’ = ‘असि’); तच्छृणु → तत् शृणु
FAQs
It presents a sanctified puṣkariṇī (sacred pond) as a powerful tīrtha where the full merit of jaladāna (charitable giving of water) is obtained.
The verse says the puṣkariṇī becomes especially purified through yajña-karman (sacrificial rites), implying ritual consecration intensifies the site’s spiritual efficacy.
It upholds practical compassion: providing water—an essential resource—as a meritorious act, especially when done in a sacred context and with charitable intent.