प्रतिमा-गृह जलाशयादि प्रतिष्ठाफलम्The fruit of installing images, houses, reservoirs and the rest
Verse 28
प्रीतये सर्वसत्त्वानां ये प्रदद्युर्जलाशयम् । विधूतपापास्ते प्राप्य ब्रह्मलोकमनामयम् । निवसेयुः शतं वर्षानम्भसां प्रतिशीकरम् ॥ २८ ॥
prītayē sarvasattvānāṁ yē pradadyurjalāśayam | vidhūtapāpāstē prāpya brahmalōkamanāmayam | nivasēyuḥ śataṁ varṣānambhasāṁ pratiśīkaram || 28 ||
Translation
Those who give a reservoir of water for the pleasure of all creatures are washed of their sins; reaching the world of Brahmā, free of all affliction, they dwell there a hundred years for every drop of its water.
Word by word
- prītayē
- for the pleasure
- sarva
- of all
- sattvānāṁ
- creatures
- yē
- those who
- pradadyuḥ
- give
- jala
- of water
- āśayam
- (āśayam) a reservoir
- vidhūta
- washed off
- pāpāḥ
- (pāpāḥ) whose sins
- tē
- they
- prāpya
- reaching
- brahma
- of Brahmā
- lōkam
- the world
- anāmayam
- free of affliction
- nivasēyuḥ
- dwell
- śataṁ
- a hundred
- varṣān
- years
- ambhasāṁ
- of the water
- pratiśīkaram
- for every drop
Meaning
A reservoir (jalāśaya) means, as the commentary says, a step-well, a well, a tank and the like. Because water serves every creature, the reward is reckoned "pratiśīkaram", for each drop of it.
Commentary
Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated
Jalāśayam: a reservoir of water, a step-well, a well and the like. Anāmayam: free from affliction. Pratiśīkaram: for every drop of the water.