Shloka 55
Narrative of the Śūdra’s Renunciation of Greed
with the Tulādhāra Greatness Prelude
सत्वादिक्रतुकार्यं च पुष्करिण्युपकारकं । दानं नाकस्य सोपानं निःस्वस्य च न सिद्ध्यति
satvādikratukāryaṃ ca puṣkariṇyupakārakaṃ | dānaṃ nākasya sopānaṃ niḥsvasya ca na siddhyati
الصدقة تُعين على الشعائر المقدّسة وأعمال الخير، وتنفع البركَ المقدّسة والمنافعَ العامة. العطاء سُلَّمٌ إلى السماء؛ غير أنّ المعدمَ تمامًا لا يقدر على إتمامه.
Not specified in the provided excerpt (dialogue context needed from surrounding verses).
Concept: Dāna sustains yajña-like goodness and communal sacred works; it becomes a ‘ladder to heaven,’ yet extreme poverty blocks this path, calling for societal responsibility and alternative, non-monetary devotion.
Application: Give according to capacity; support community resources (water, food, learning); if unable to give money, offer time, service, kind speech, and remembrance of Vishnu.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A serene temple tank (puṣkariṇī) gleams with lotus leaves as donors offer pots of water, cloth, and coins to priests and travelers. In the foreground, a poor devotee watches with folded hands, offering only a flower and heartfelt prayer—suggesting that devotion can substitute when wealth fails.","primary_figures":["donors","priests","pilgrims","a poor devotee"],"setting":"temple tank with steps, lotus blooms, small shrine pavilion, travelers resting under a banyan","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["turquoise water","lotus pink","saffron","stone gray","sunrise gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: grand temple tank with lotus, donors presenting gifts to priests, pilgrims receiving water; a humble poor devotee offering a single flower; gold leaf on temple vimana and halos, rich reds/greens, ornate jewelry, symmetrical sacred architecture.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: stepped lake with delicate lotuses, soft dawn sky, small groups giving alms, a humble figure offering a flower; cool aquas and pinks, fine linework, lyrical trees and distant hills, gentle devotional realism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized puṣkariṇī steps, bold outlines of donors and priests, lotus motifs, temple pavilion; warm yellow-red-green pigments, iconic faces, rhythmic composition like a temple wall panel.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central lotus-filled tank with ornate floral borders, pilgrims and cows near the water, devotional giving scene; deep blue background with gold detailing, lotus motifs, intricate patterns, emphasis on sacred water and seva."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["flowing water","morning birds","soft conch","temple bells"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सत्त्वादिक्रतुकार्यं = सत्त्वादि + क्रतुकार्यं; पुष्करिण्युपकारकं = पुष्करिणी + उपकारकं; निःस्वस्य (निस् + स्व) रूपे विसर्गः।
FAQs
It presents dāna as socially and religiously sustaining: it supports virtuous works and sacrificial/ritual duties, and it benefits communal resources like sacred tanks and waterworks—while also being described as a means toward heavenly merit.
It acknowledges a practical ethical limit: when a person lacks even basic means (niḥsva), the act of giving is not feasible. The verse highlights that merit-producing duties often depend on material capacity.
Both: it links ethics (dāna as dharma) with tīrtha/public benefit by explicitly mentioning puṣkariṇīs (sacred tanks/ponds), implying that giving can maintain or support sacred and communal infrastructures.