Shloka 84
Rāma’s Meeting with Agastya: Gift-Ethics (Dāna) and the Tale of King Śveta
शृणुष्वाद्य यथावृत्तं ममेदं सुखदुःखजम् । कामो हि दुरितक्रम्यः शृणु यत्पृच्छसे द्विज
śṛṇuṣvādya yathāvṛttaṃ mamedaṃ sukhaduḥkhajam | kāmo hi duritakramyaḥ śṛṇu yatpṛcchase dvija
اسمع الآن ما جرى—تجربتي هذه المولودة من اللذة والألم معًا. إن الشهوة حقًّا تجرّ إلى الإثم؛ فاسمع، أيها المولود مرتين، ما تسأل عنه.
Unspecified narrator (a respondent addressing a dvija)
Concept: Kāma (unrestrained desire) transgresses dharma and becomes the stepping-stone to sin; lived experience is offered as proof.
Application: Treat desire as an early-warning signal: pause, reflect on consequences, and redirect impulses into disciplined practice (japa, seva, vrata, sat-saṅga).
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A repentant narrator sits before a learned dvija, recounting a life that swung between pleasure and pain; his posture is heavy with remorse yet steady with resolve to speak truth. The listener’s calm, discerning gaze invites confession, while a small lamp burns steadily—symbol of dharma amid temptation.","primary_figures":["repentant narrator (respondent)","dvija (twice-born listener)"],"setting":"simple hermitage interior or shaded veranda; oil lamp, water pot, palm-leaf manuscript; quiet forest beyond","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["warm amber","smoked brown","sandalwood beige","deep green","copper"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: intimate confession scene with gold-leaf lamp glow; the dvija seated with scripture, the narrator gesturing as he admits kāma’s wrongdoing; rich maroons and greens, ornate border, subtle gold filigree emphasizing the lamp and sacred thread.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: restrained, emotive storytelling—soft amber lamp, delicate faces, quiet forest backdrop; gentle hand gestures, muted earth tones, contemplative atmosphere.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, warm lamp-lit palette; dvija with stylized sacred thread and manuscript, narrator in humble posture; patterned floor and foliage motifs, strong reds/yellows with earthy shading.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: moral-kathā vignette framed by floral borders; central lamp as symbolic axis, lotus motifs suggesting purity regained; deep indigo accents with gold and copper detailing."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["steady lamp crackle (suggested)","night crickets","soft tanpura drone","brief bell at transitions"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शृणुष्वाद्य = शृणुष्व + अद्य; ममेदं = मम + इदम्; यथावृत्तं treated as यथा-वृत्तम् (avyayībhāva); यत्पृच्छसे = यत् + पृच्छसे; दुरितक्रम्यः as compound दुरित-क्रम्यः.
FAQs
It frames a moral testimony: personal experience (mixed pleasure and pain) is offered to show that unchecked kāma (desire) can lead a person into durita (wrongdoing).
“Dvija” literally means “twice-born,” a common honorific for a Brahmin (and sometimes for the initiated twice-born classes), indicating the listener is a learned inquirer.
It cautions that desire can become a stepping-stone into harmful action, so one should listen to moral narratives and apply restraint and discernment.