Shloka 156
Karma, Non-Violence, Tīrtha & Gaṅgā Merit, Vaiṣṇava Protection, Śālagrāma Worship, and Ekādaśī as Deliverance
एकादश्युपवासस्य कलां नार्हंति षोडशीम् । एकादशेंद्रियैः पापं यत्कृतं वैश्य मानवैः
ekādaśyupavāsasya kalāṃ nārhaṃti ṣoḍaśīm | ekādaśeṃdriyaiḥ pāpaṃ yatkṛtaṃ vaiśya mānavaiḥ
اکادشی کے روزے کی عظمت ایسی ہے کہ اس کے ثواب کا سولہواں حصہ بھی برابر نہیں ہو سکتا؛ گیارہ اندریوں کے ذریعے انسانوں (ویشیہ وغیرہ) سے جو پاپ ہوا ہو، وہ اسے مٹا دیتا ہے۔
Unspecified (context-dependent within Svargakhaṇḍa 31; likely a narrator/teacher voice in dialogue)
Concept: Ekādaśī fasting is so potent that even a sixteenth share of comparable merit cannot match it; it counteracts sins produced through the eleven sense-faculties.
Application: Use Ekādaśī as a structured day of sense-discipline: reduce sensory overload (food, media, speech), increase mantra-japa, and practice mindful restraint to weaken habitual wrongdoing.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A symbolic tableau shows a fasting devotee seated in meditation while eleven subtle streams—representing the senses and mind—flow outward as smoky tendrils toward tempting objects, then reverse and dissolve into a radiant Viṣṇu-lotus at the heart. Above, a faint mandala of sixteen segments (ṣoḍaśa-kalā wheel) appears, with Ekādaśī’s single point shining brighter than the rest.","primary_figures":["a fasting devotee (yogi-bhakta)","Padmanābha/Vishnu as inner lotus presence","personified senses (symbolic forms)"],"setting":"Interior sanctum-like meditation space blending into a cosmic mindscape; lotus seat, minimal ritual items, a tulasī leaf near a water pot (optional).","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["midnight blue","aura gold","smoky violet","lotus white","leaf green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central meditating devotee with embossed golden aura, Padmanābha appearing in a heart-lotus with gold leaf halo; eleven stylized sense-streams rendered as ornamental ribbons turning into lotus petals; a sixteen-segment golden mandala above; rich reds/greens, gem-like highlights, traditional iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate allegory—devotee seated by a small shrine, faint translucent figures of senses drifting toward objects then returning as pale petals to a luminous Vishnu-lotus; cool palette, fine brushwork, poetic minimalism, soft gradients.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and flat pigments—Vishnu in a heart-lotus, eleven ribbon-like sense motifs curling back; strong reds/yellows/greens with black contouring, temple-wall allegory aesthetic.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: circular mandala composition with sixteen petals around the border, central Vishnu-lotus and devotee; intricate floral borders, deep blue ground, gold detailing, stylized motifs for senses as peacock-feather-like curls returning inward."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["soft tanpura drone","temple bells (distant)","silence","occasional conch"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ekādaśī+upavāsasya → ekādaśyupavāsasya; na+arhanti → nārhaṃti; ekādaśa+indriyaiḥ → ekādaśeṃdriyaiḥ (a+i → e); yat+kṛtam → yatkṛtam.
FAQs
It extols the exceptional purifying power of Ekādaśī fasting, stating that its merit surpasses other measures and can destroy sins generated through the activity of the sense-faculties.
In many Sanskrit philosophical contexts, “eleven indriyas” refers to the ten external faculties (five sense-organs and five organs of action) plus the mind (manas) as the eleventh.
The mention functions as an illustrative category (a social class example) rather than an exclusion; the ethical point is general: sins arising through sense-driven behavior are countered by disciplined observances like Ekādaśī.