Shloka 49
The Tale of Sukalā: Testing Pativratā Fidelity and the Body-as-House Teaching
तस्माद्भुंक्ष्व सुखेनापि पिबस्व मधुमाधवीम् । कामाबाणा दहंत्यंगं तवेमे चारुलोचने
tasmādbhuṃkṣva sukhenāpi pibasva madhumādhavīm | kāmābāṇā dahaṃtyaṃgaṃ taveme cārulocane
فلذلك كُلْ على مهلٍ واشربْ خمرَ ماذَفِي العسليّة. يا جميلةَ العينين، إنّ سهامَ الشهوةِ هذه تُحرقُ جسدَك.
Unspecified (context not provided; appears as a male speaker addressing a woman in a kāma/romantic dialogue)
Concept: A cautionary mirror: sensual persuasion and intoxication intensify desire’s ‘burning’; the implied Purāṇic counterpoint is mastery of senses through dharma and devotion.
Application: Recognize how desire uses comfort and intoxicants as fuel; set boundaries, cultivate sattva (simple diet, regulated habits), and redirect longing into devotion (nāma, seva).
Primary Rasa: shringara
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Inside a perfumed palace chamber, a persuasive lover offers a jeweled cup of honeyed Mādhavī wine and a platter of delicacies to a wide-eyed woman, while invisible fiery arrows—symbolic of Kāma—radiate heat around her body. The scene is lush yet edged with danger: silk curtains billow, and a faint shadow of a stern deity-form in the background hints at moral consequence.","primary_figures":["worldly lover (generic)","woman addressed as 'cārulocane' (generic)","personified Kāma (symbolic presence)"],"setting":"royal chamber with carved pillars, silk drapes, incense smoke, wine vessel, and low couch; a small neglected shrine in a corner for contrast","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["wine maroon","ivory","smoky gold","midnight blue","emerald green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: opulent interior scene with a lover offering a jeweled cup of Mādhavī wine to a fair-eyed woman; gold leaf embellishment on jewelry, cup, and palace arches; rich reds and greens, gem-studded ornaments; stylized fiery ‘kāma-bāṇa’ motifs around the figures, with a small subdued Vishnu shrine in the corner as moral counterpoint.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate palace chamber under cool moonlight, delicate brushwork on textiles and expressions; refined faces, lyrical drapery, subtle symbolic arrows of desire as translucent flame-streaks; cool blues with maroon accents, a quiet moral tension.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and saturated pigments—figures in stylized poses, ornate cup and platter, flame-arrow motifs encircling the woman; red/yellow/green palette with deep blue background, temple-wall aesthetic, expressive eyes conveying temptation and heat.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: decorative, motif-rich interior framed by lotus and floral borders; central figures with patterned textiles, symbolic flame-arrows rendered as repeating motifs; deep blues and gold, intricate ornamentation, a small shrine element subtly included to contrast bhoga with bhakti."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["soft ankle bells","low drum pulse","whispering silk","distant thunder","sudden silence on 'dahanti'"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: tasmādbhuṃkṣva = tasmāt + bhuṃkṣva; sukhenāpi = sukhena + api; dahaṃtyaṃgaṃ = dahanti + aṅgam; taveme = tava + ime; kāmābāṇā = kāma + bāṇāḥ (visarga loss in sandhi).
FAQs
“Kāma’s arrows” is a common Sanskrit poetic idiom for the sudden, intense burning of erotic desire; it personifies desire as Cupid (Kāma) wounding the heart and body.
It denotes a sweet, honeyed drink—often understood as Mādhavī wine/mead in classical usage—invoked here as part of sensual persuasion within the dialogue.
The verse illustrates how desire is depicted as physically consuming (“burning the body”), highlighting the Purāṇic and kāvya-style motif that unchecked passion can overpower discernment—even when framed as pleasure and comfort.