Shloka 74
Merit of Causeways and Crossings, Temple Construction Rewards, and the Rudrākṣa Mahātmya
दत्वा लिंगे विधानाच्च ब्राह्मणे वा यशस्विनि । शतयोजनविस्तीर्णमंडलेधिपतिर्भवेत्
datvā liṃge vidhānācca brāhmaṇe vā yaśasvini | śatayojanavistīrṇamaṃḍaledhipatirbhavet
اے نامور خاتون! اگر کوئی شاستری طریقے سے لِنگ کو—یا متبادل طور پر برہمن کو—نذر کرے تو وہ سو یوجن پھیلی ہوئی سلطنت کا حاکم بن جاتا ہے۔
Unspecified (addressing a female interlocutor: 'yaśasvini')
Concept: Properly performed offerings to a sacred emblem (liṅga) or to a brāhmaṇa yield worldly sovereignty and expansive dominion.
Application: Treat spiritual institutions and learned persons with due honor; align ambition with ethical giving and ritual correctness rather than coercion.
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"An illustrious woman stands with a lamp and offering bowl, performing vidhi before a polished stone liṅga adorned with bilva leaves and garlands; beside her, a venerable brāhmaṇa receives an alternative offering with calm dignity. Behind them, a vast map-like mandala expands into a hundred-yojana realm, symbolizing dharma-born sovereignty.","primary_figures":["female patron (yaśasvinī)","liṅga (consecrated emblem)","brāhmaṇa recipient","attendant women (optional)"],"setting":"Temple interior with a sanctum for the liṅga and an adjacent donation pavilion for brāhmaṇa honoring","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["lamp-flame amber","stone gray","sandalwood beige","vermillion","leaf green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a noblewoman offering before a richly decorated liṅga shrine, with a brāhmaṇa seated to receive dakṣiṇā; gold leaf on jewelry and arch, deep red and green textiles, ornate temple pillars, a stylized ‘hundred-yojana’ realm shown as a golden-bordered mandala behind.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate temple scene with delicate gestures—woman offering, brāhmaṇa blessing; soft lamplight, refined facial features, subtle architectural lines, a faint expansive landscape scroll in the background indicating wide dominion.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, warm yellow ground; liṅga shrine with garlands, the patroness in traditional attire, brāhmaṇa with palm-leaf manuscript; symbolic realm shown as concentric bands, strong reds/greens/blacks.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: shrine framed by lotus borders; the offering scene centered, with a large circular mandala of lotuses representing the ‘hundred-yojana’ domain; intricate floral filigree, deep blue and gold accents, peacocks at corners."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["oil-lamp crackle","temple bells","low drum (mridangam) strokes","soft chanting chorus"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: विधानाच्च = विधानात् + च; मण्डलेधिपतिः = मण्डल + अधिपतिः (स्वर-सन्धि); शतयोजनविस्तीर्णमण्डलाधिपतिः treated as a multi-member तत्पुरुष compound.
FAQs
It states that a person who gives properly—either to a liṅga in the prescribed manner or to a brāhmaṇa—attains rulership over a territory described as a hundred yojanas wide.
It presents two ritually valid recipients of dāna: the liṅga as a sacred focus of worship and the brāhmaṇa as a traditional human recipient of religious gifts, indicating that either form of properly performed giving yields merit.
It emphasizes disciplined generosity (dāna) performed according to proper procedure (vidhāna), teaching that righteous giving is spiritually potent and socially meaningful.