Shloka 3
Praise of the Merits of Sacred Ponds, Tree-Planting, and Water-Charities
अन्यत्र रोपणं कृत्वा शाखिनां यत्फलं लभेत् । ततो जलसमीपे तु लक्षकोटिगुणं भवेत्
anyatra ropaṇaṃ kṛtvā śākhināṃ yatphalaṃ labhet | tato jalasamīpe tu lakṣakoṭiguṇaṃ bhavet
دوسری جگہ درخت لگانے سے جو پُنّیہ پھل ملتا ہے، وہی عمل اگر پانی کے قریب کیا جائے تو لاکھ کوٹی گنا، یعنی کروڑوں گنا بڑھ جاتا ہے۔
Not explicitly identifiable from the single verse (context needed from surrounding verses of Adhyāya 58).
Concept: The same righteous act yields exponentially greater fruit when performed in a sanctifying context—near water—showing that intention plus sacred setting intensifies karma-phala.
Application: Prioritize dharmic acts that combine spiritual and public benefit: plant and maintain trees near rivers/ponds/ghats; support water conservation and green belts around sacred waters.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: river
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Two parallel scenes unfold like a diptych: on one side, a lone planter sets a sapling in dry inland soil; on the other, the same act occurs beside shimmering water, where the sapling’s aura erupts into a vast mandala of light—suggesting ‘lakṣa-koṭi’ multiplication. The river reflects the sky like a mirror of dharma, and the planted grove forms a protective green halo around the water’s edge.","primary_figures":["householder planter","riverbank pilgrims","symbolic personification of Puṇya as radiant mandala"],"setting":"Split-scene landscape: inland field vs river/pond edge with ghats and reeds","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["emerald green","radiant gold","cerulean blue","white shimmer","earth umber"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: split-panel composition showing inland planting versus riverbank planting, gold leaf mandala exploding from the riverbank sapling to signify lakṣa-koṭi multiplication, ornate borders with lotus and conch, rich crimson/green garments, stylized waves with gold highlights, temple ghat elements and gem-like detailing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: elegant diptych landscape with delicate brushwork, one side dry ochre plains, the other side cool blue river with reeds, a sapling near water glowing softly, subtle visual metaphor of expanding light rings, refined figures and lyrical naturalism, distant hills and a small shrine.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and symbolic geometry, two scenes separated by a decorative vine, river rendered with patterned blue waves, the near-water sapling surrounded by concentric golden circles, planters in red-yellow-green, temple-wall aesthetic with floral borders.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symmetrical composition with a central river band, repeated lotus motifs, saplings arranged like a garland around water, deep indigo and gold highlights, peacocks and cows near the ghat, a radiant circular motif around the near-water planting to represent multiplied puṇya."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"celebratory","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["conch shell","river surge","hand cymbals (tāla)","temple bells"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यत्फलं = यत् + फलम् (त् + फ → त्फ).
FAQs
It implies that proximity to water—rivers, lakes, ponds, or other water bodies associated with tīrtha-culture—intensifies the spiritual merit of good deeds, reflecting the Purāṇic view of waters as especially sanctifying places.
While not explicitly devotional in wording, it promotes a practical dharmic act (planting trees) linked to sacred waters, a common bhakti-adjacent ethic where service to creation and tīrtha-spaces is treated as spiritually potent and pleasing to the divine.
It teaches environmental and social ethics: planting trees is meritorious everywhere, but doing so where it benefits living beings most (near water sources that sustain life and pilgrimage) is portrayed as exceptionally fruitful.