Shloka 48
Prohibitions and Rules of Right Conduct (Ācāra): Theft, Speech, Purity, Residence, and Social Boundaries
न मुक्तबंधनं पश्येन्नोन्मत्तं गजमेव वा । नाश्नीयाद्भार्यया सार्द्धं नैनामीक्षेत चाश्नतीम्
na muktabaṃdhanaṃ paśyennonmattaṃ gajameva vā | nāśnīyādbhāryayā sārddhaṃ naināmīkṣeta cāśnatīm
لا ينبغي أن يُحدِّق المرء في من أُطلق من القيود، ولا في الفيل الهائج. ولا يأكل مع زوجته، ولا ينظر إليها وهي تأكل.
Unspecified (instructional/normative voice within the Svarga-khaṇḍa context)
Concept: Dharma includes prudence and boundaries: avoid perilous or socially charged spectacles; cultivate modesty and non-distraction in household routines like eating.
Application: Do not rubberneck at danger or others’ misfortune; keep meals calm and mindful; practice mutual respect in marriage by avoiding intrusive staring and maintaining simple etiquette.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A village street shows a distant, rampaging elephant with attendants trying to calm it, while onlookers turn away and move to safety rather than stare. In a quiet home interior, a couple sits separately for a simple meal; the husband’s gaze is lowered in respectful restraint, emphasizing calm domestic dharma.","primary_figures":["village onlookers","mahout/attendants","householder couple"],"setting":"split scene: village lane with elephant; modest home dining space with leaf plates and water pot","lighting_mood":"bright day outside, calm shaded interior inside","color_palette":["dusty terracotta","palm-leaf green","ivory white","charcoal gray","sunlit gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: two-panel composition—left a stylized mad elephant in a village lane with attendants, gold-leaf highlights on ornaments; right a serene household meal scene with restrained posture and downcast gaze; rich reds/greens, ornate borders, gem-studded vessels, emphasis on dharmic symbolism over action spectacle.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: lively yet controlled village scene with delicate figures stepping aside from an agitated elephant; interior panel shows a quiet meal with refined expressions and gentle domestic intimacy without overt gaze; soft earth tones, fine textile patterns, lyrical realism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines; dynamic elephant with patterned skin motifs; attendants in rhythmic poses; interior dining scene with stylized eyes and composed gestures; natural pigments with strong reds/yellows/greens and clear narrative separation.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornamental framing with lotus and vine borders; elephant scene rendered as symbolic caution motif; central domestic panel shows mindful eating with devotional calm; deep blues and gold accents, peacocks at corners, intricate floral borders, emphasis on restraint and auspicious order."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["distant elephant trumpet (soft, implied)","village ambience","clink of brass vessel","quiet indoor silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: paśyennonmattam = paśyet + na + unmattam; nāśnīyāt = na + aśnīyāt; naināmīkṣeta = na + enām + īkṣeta; cāśnatīm = ca + aśnatīm.
FAQs
It presents practical dharma/nīti guidelines—rules of conduct and etiquette—especially relevant to safety, restraint, and household discipline.
The instruction reflects prudence and social caution: a mad elephant is physically dangerous, and a person recently released from bondage may be socially volatile or unpredictable in traditional normative literature.
It emphasizes restraint and decorum in domestic life—maintaining modesty and discipline around meals, which are treated as a regulated, respectful activity in many dharma-style passages.