Shloka 17
The Greatness of the Revā (Narmadā): Release from the Piśāca Curse
प्रायाश्चित्तं न पश्यंति यस्मिन्पापे पिशाचक । तत्सर्वं नर्मदातोये स्नानमात्रेण नश्यति
prāyāścittaṃ na paśyaṃti yasminpāpe piśācaka | tatsarvaṃ narmadātoye snānamātreṇa naśyati
اے پِشاک! جس گناہ کے لیے کوئی پرایَشچِتّ (کفّارہ) نظر نہیں آتا، وہ سب نَرمدا کے جل میں محض اشنان سے ہی نَشٹ ہو جاتا ہے۔
Unspecified (contextual narrator/teacher addressing Piśācaka within the Svargakhaṇḍa dialogue frame)
Concept: Divine tīrtha-snāna can dissolve even those karmic stains for which ordinary expiation is not prescribed.
Application: Approach pilgrimage and ritual bathing with repentance (anuttāpa) and resolve (saṅkalpa) to reform; pair external snāna with inner cleansing—truthfulness, restraint, and remembrance of Nārāyaṇa.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: river
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"On a broad riverbank of the Narmadā, a remorseful pilgrim steps into shimmering current while unseen celestial beings scatter lotus petals. The water glows as if infused with mantra, and dark, smoky forms symbolizing sin dissolve into the flow, leaving the bather serene and uplifted.","primary_figures":["Narmadā-devī (river goddess)","a penitent pilgrim","celestial attendants (apsarās/gandharvas)"],"setting":"Rocky ghāṭa with ancient steps, banyan and aśvattha trees, small shrine with Viṣṇu’s śālagrāma on a pedestal, distant hills of central India","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["sapphire blue","river-jade green","lotus pink","gold leaf","ash-grey (dissolving sin)"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Narmadā-devī rising from stylized waves beside a ghāṭa, blessing a pilgrim performing snāna; Viṣṇu’s śālagrāma shrine at the side; heavy gold leaf halos, rich vermilion and emerald garments, gem-studded ornaments, ornate arch framing the river scene.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: lyrical Narmadā valley with layered hills, delicate ripples and white foam; a lone pilgrim waist-deep in water, subtle celestial figures in the sky; cool blues and greens, refined faces, fine-line foliage and birds along the bank.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, Narmadā-devī with large expressive eyes emerging from patterned waves; pilgrim in anjali; temple-lamp motifs on the ghāṭa; natural pigments with dominant red, yellow, green, and deep blue, mural-wall composition.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: river as a lotus-filled mandala; border of tulasi and lotus motifs; central vignette of snāna with floating lamps; peacocks and cows at the bank; deep indigo background with gold detailing and intricate floral filigree."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["flowing water","temple bells","conch shell","soft wind through trees"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्रायाश्चित्तं→प्रायश्चित्तम्; पश्यंति→पश्यन्ति; यस्मिन्पापे→यस्मिन् पापे; तत्सर्वं→तत् सर्वम्; नर्मदातोये→नर्मदा-तोये (समास)।
FAQs
It presents the Narmadā as a supremely purifying sacred river, claiming that even sins considered beyond ordinary expiations can be destroyed simply through bathing in her waters.
No; it uses a rhetorical extreme—“even where no expiation is seen”—to emphasize the exceptional tīrtha-mahātmyā (greatness) of the Narmadā, not to deny the general validity of other atonements.
Alongside faith in sacred practices, the verse encourages humility and reform: purification is portrayed as accessible, but the implied aim is inner cleansing and a return to dharmic conduct rather than permission to continue wrongdoing.