प्रतिमा-गृह जलाशयादि प्रतिष्ठाफलम्The fruit of installing images, houses, reservoirs and the rest
Verse 38
पताका तत्र संयोज्या तत्तद्वाहनचिह्निता । प्रशस्तमूला सूक्ष्माग्रा दिव्यवस्त्रविनिर्मिता । शोभमाना ध्वजाग्रे या पताका सा प्रकीर्तिता ॥ ३८ ॥
patākā tatra saṁyōjyā tattadvāhanacihnitā | praśastamūlā sūkṣmāgrā divyavastravinirmitā | śōbhamānā dhvajāgrē yā patākā sā prakīrtitā || 38 ||
Translation
The banner is to be fixed to it, marked with the vehicle of that particular god, broad at the base and narrow at the tip, made of fine cloth. That which shines at the top of the staff is called the banner.
Word by word
- patākā
- the banner
- tatra
- to it
- saṁyōjyā
- is to be fixed
- tattad
- (tattat) of that particular god
- vāhana
- with the vehicle
- cihnitā
- marked
- praśasta
- broad
- mūlā
- at the base
- sūkṣma
- narrow
- agrā
- (agrā) at the tip
- divya
- of fine
- vastra
- cloth
- vinirmitā
- made
- śōbhamānā
- shining
- dhvaja
- of the staff
- agrē
- (agre) at the top
- yā
- that which
- sā
- that
- prakīrtitā
- is called
Meaning
Each deity's banner bears the image of its vāhana: a lion for the Devī, a bull for Śiva, Garuḍa for Viṣṇu. The commentary takes "tatra" as "on the staff" and "dhvajāgre" as "at its top".
Commentary
Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated
Tatra: on the flagstaff. He tells the form of the banner in a verse and a quarter, "tattadvāhanacihnitā" and the rest. Dhvajāgre: at the top of the flagstaff.