Shloka 23
The Birth of King Pṛthu: Vena’s Fall, the Sages’ Churning, and Earth’s Surrender
निजधर्मं परित्यज्य अधर्मनिरतोभवत् । कामाल्लोभान्महामोहात्पापमेव समाचरत्
nijadharmaṃ parityajya adharmaniratobhavat | kāmāllobhānmahāmohātpāpameva samācarat
ترك واجبه المقرَّر، فانغمس في الأدهرما؛ وبفعل الشهوة والطمع والوهم العظيم، لم يأتِ إلا الإثم.
Unspecified (narratorial voice within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa context)
Concept: Abandoning svadharma leads to fixation on adharma; desire, greed, and delusion become the engines of continual sin.
Application: Identify your dominant trigger (desire/greed/delusion) and counter it with a concrete daily vow: truthful speech, regulated consumption, charity, and a fixed time for nāma-japa or pūjā.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Vena strides through a darkened hall, trailed by personified shadows of Kāma, Lobha, and Moha—each whispering into his ears—while neglected altars and extinguished lamps line the corridor. In the distance, sages and citizens appear as faint silhouettes, conveying the sorrow of a realm pulled into adharma.","primary_figures":["Prajāpati Vena","Kāma (personified)","Lobha (personified)","Moha (personified)","sages and citizens (background)"],"setting":"Palace corridor leading past abandoned shrines and a dim yajña hall","lighting_mood":"chiaroscuro, torch-lit gloom","color_palette":["soot black","rust red","tarnished gold","cold grey","dark teal"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Vena in opulent attire with gold leaf highlights, contrasted against a dark background; three allegorical figures (Kāma, Lobha, Moha) as shadowy attendants with subtle iconographic cues; extinguished lamps and neglected altar rendered with dramatic composition, ornate borders emphasizing moral warning.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: Narrative corridor scene with delicate architecture, Vena’s proud gait, translucent shadow-figures behind him; muted cool palette, expressive faces of distant sages, fine brushwork conveying psychological tension rather than violence.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Bold outlines, Vena central with intense gaze, allegorical figures stylized with dark pigments and swirling forms; background shrines and lamps; dominant reds/yellows subdued by black-green shadows, temple-wall moral tableau.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Symbolic composition—central Vena surrounded by swirling floral-vine patterns that morph into dark tendrils labeled by motifs for desire/greed/delusion; lotus border partially darkened; deep blue/teal ground with gold accents, devotional aesthetic used to depict ethical caution."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["heavy silence between lines","distant thunder (subtle)","single bell toll","low drone"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अधर्मनिरतोभवत् = adharmanirataḥ + abhavat; कामाल्लोभान्महामोहात् = kāmāt + lobhāt + mahāmohāt; पापमेव = pāpam + eva.
FAQs
It warns that abandoning one’s rightful duty (svadharma) and yielding to desire, greed, and delusion leads directly to habitual wrongdoing and sin.
It presents kāma (desire), lobha (greed), and mahāmoha (deep delusion) as the inner drivers that push a person into adharma and repeated sinful conduct.
Yes. By criticizing the abandonment of nijadharma, it aligns with the broader dharma tradition that emphasizes fulfilling one’s appropriate responsibilities rather than acting from impulse and attachment.