Shloka 76
Tīrtha-Māhātmya of the Sarasvatī Region and the Praise of Kurukṣetra
Pilgrimage Merits
सोमलोकमवाप्नोति नरो नास्त्यत्र संशयः । ततो गच्छेत धर्मज्ञ दधीचस्य नराधिप
somalokamavāpnoti naro nāstyatra saṃśayaḥ | tato gaccheta dharmajña dadhīcasya narādhipa
انسان سوم لوک کو پاتا ہے—اس میں کوئی شک نہیں۔ پھر، اے دھرم کے جاننے والے، اے نرادھپ (بادشاہ)! وہ ددھیچا کے مقدس مقام کی طرف جائے۔
Unspecified narrator (context-dependent within Svarga-khaṇḍa’s pilgrimage/merit discourse)
Concept: Pilgrimage is a disciplined progression: each tīrtha grants specific fruits (here Soma-loka), and the seeker should continue onward under dharma-guidance.
Application: Sustain spiritual practice as a path, not a single event—complete one discipline and proceed to the next with steadiness and faith.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A royal pilgrim entourage pauses at a moonlit ford where a priest points toward the next destination—Dadhīci’s hermitage-tīrtha—marked by a distant grove and a small fire altar. Above, a luminous crescent moon and a faint celestial pathway suggest Soma-loka, while the road ahead glows with purposeful direction.","primary_figures":["pilgrim-king","guiding sage/priest","Soma (moon symbolism)","Ṛṣi Dadhīci (as a distant visionary presence)"],"setting":"riverbank ford transitioning into a forest path toward an ancient āśrama with kuśa grass and a yajña-kuṇḍa","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["silver white","midnight blue","ash gray","forest green","lamp-flame amber"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: moonlit Soma-tīrtha with silver-toned water rendered in gold-leaf highlights, a king with attendants receiving direction from a sage, distant Dadhīci āśrama with a glowing fire altar, ornate arch border, rich reds and greens, celestial moon halo embellished with gold rays.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: cool nocturne palette, delicate moonlight on water, a small group of travelers on a winding path, distant hermitage under tall trees, refined facial features, soft gradients, lyrical sense of journey and resolve.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized crescent moon in a mandala, bold outlines of king and sage, rhythmic tree patterns leading to an āśrama, warm lamp accents against deep blue, temple-wall composition with ornamental vines.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: decorative border of lotuses and moon motifs, central river scene with pilgrims, a path of floral patterns leading to Dadhīci’s shrine-like hermitage, deep blues with gold and white highlights, peacocks perched near the steps."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["night insects","soft flowing water","distant temple bell","footsteps on stone steps"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सोमलोकमवाप्नोति = सोमलोकम् + अवाप्नोति; नास्त्यत्र = न + अस्ति + अत्र (संधिः: न + अस्ति → नास्ति; इ + अ → य; नास्ति + अत्र → नास्त्यत्र)
FAQs
Somaloka is the celestial realm associated with Soma (the Moon deity), presented here as a meritorious post-death destination attained through prescribed religious merit.
The verse reads like a sequential instruction within a merit/pilgrimage framework: after describing one spiritual result (Somaloka), it directs the practitioner to proceed to the next sacred locus associated with the sage Dadhīca.
It emphasizes confidence in scriptural merit-claims (“no doubt”) and encourages disciplined progression in dharmic practice—moving from one prescribed act or sacred place to the next under guidance.