Shloka 40
Praise of Digging Wells and Building Water-Reservoirs
The Merit of Water-Works
ततः खाताधिपेनैव शैलं दूरे निपातितम् । पुण्यं खातस्य चोत्खाते प्रलुप्तस्य सुतेन हि
tataḥ khātādhipenaiva śailaṃ dūre nipātitam | puṇyaṃ khātasya cotkhāte praluptasya sutena hi
پھر خود خاتادھیپ نے اس پہاڑ کو دور جا پھینکا۔ اور خاتا سے وابستہ پُنّیہ—کھودنے/اُتکھنن کے عمل کے ذریعے—یقیناً پرلُپت کے بیٹے نے حاصل کر لیا۔
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context needed from surrounding verses; likely within a narrated dialogue such as Pulastya → Bhīṣma in Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa).
Concept: Merit accrues through public-benefit dharma—especially creating access to water; decisive intervention removes obstacles, and puṇya is transmitted/secured through rightful agency (here, the son of Pralupta).
Application: Support or sponsor wells, tanks, rainwater harvesting, and clean-water access; treat such service as sacred, not merely civic; dedicate the act to Viṣṇu for inner purification.
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A powerful guardian figure—Khātādhipa—hurls a massive mountain boulder across the sky, clearing the sacred excavation site. Below, workers and pilgrims stand near freshly dug earth and a forming tank, as the ‘son of Pralupta’ receives the subtle glow of puṇya, depicted as a luminous aura settling upon him like falling light.","primary_figures":["Khātādhipa (guardian lord)","son of Pralupta","workers/diggers","pilgrims"],"setting":"An excavation ground beside a sacred waterbody-in-formation: mounds of earth, stone tools, ghāṭa outlines, and distant trees/temple markers.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["terracotta brown","granite gray","aura gold","deep sky blue","sage green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Khātādhipa in heroic stance, arm extended mid-throw with a mountain rendered in stylized form; gold leaf aura around the guardian and around the recipient of puṇya; richly ornamented figures, crimson and emerald garments, ornate temple arch framing the excavation site with jewel-like detailing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: dynamic diagonal composition of a flying boulder; delicate depiction of diggers and the young heir (Pralupta’s son) receiving blessing; soft earth tones, clear blue sky, fine brushwork on tools and terrain, expressive yet restrained faces.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and rhythmic musculature for Khātādhipa; stylized mountain in motion; patterned earth mounds; the son of Pralupta with a bright yellow-gold aura; strong red/yellow/green palette with deep blue background.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic heroic vignette within ornate lotus borders; central guardian figure with raised arm, mountain arcing overhead; below, a nascent tank ringed by lotus motifs; deep indigo and gold highlights, peacocks at corners, subtle śaṅkha-cakra motifs to Vaishnavize the merit theme."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["thunderous impact","crowd gasp","stone rumble","conch shell","drum beats"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: खाताधिपेन + एव → खाताधिपेनैव (ए + ए → ऐ); च + उत्खाते → चोत्खाते (अ + उ → ओ).
FAQs
It says that Khātādhipa caused a mountain to be cast far away, and it links religious merit (puṇya) to an act of excavation/digging (utkhāta) associated with Khāta, credited to Pralupta’s son.
The verse underscores that specific righteous actions—here, a constructive deed like excavation—generate puṇya, and that such merit can be attributed to particular agents within the narrative.
Potentially yes: references to excavation and the displacement of a mountain often function in Purāṇic storytelling to explain the formation or accessibility of places. Confirming a tīrtha connection requires the immediately surrounding verses.