Shloka 56
Determination of the Householder’s Dharma
Dāna: Types, Recipients, Timing, and Fruits
तस्माद्विप्राय दातव्यं श्रोत्रियाय द्विजातिभिः । स्वर्गाय भूतिकामेन तथा पापोपशांतये
tasmādviprāya dātavyaṃ śrotriyāya dvijātibhiḥ | svargāya bhūtikāmena tathā pāpopaśāṃtaye
فلذلك ينبغي لذوي الولادتين أن يُعطوا لِبِرهمنٍ شروتريا، عالمٍ بالڤيدا؛ لمن يبتغي السماء والرخاء، وكذلك لتهدئة الآثام وإزالتها.
Unspecified narrator (contextual speaker not provided in the input excerpt)
Concept: Twice-born householders should give to a śrotriya (Veda-trained) brāhmaṇa for svarga, prosperity, and sin-pacification.
Application: Support genuine teachers and institutions that preserve śāstra and ethical living; give with discernment, humility, and without transactional pride; dedicate the act to Viṣṇu for inner purification.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Inside a quiet hermitage veranda, a dignified śrotriya brāhmaṇa sits with a palm-leaf manuscript and kusa grass, while a twice-born householder offers cloth, grain, and dakṣiṇā with bowed head. The scene conveys purification—sins dissolving like smoke—as the gift supports the living stream of Veda.","primary_figures":["śrotriya brāhmaṇa","twice-born householder donor","students (brahmacārins) in background"],"setting":"Forest āśrama with a small fire altar, manuscript stand, water pot, and tulip-shaped lamps; deer and birds at the edge of the clearing.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit transitioning to soft morning light","color_palette":["warm ochre","saffron","palm-leaf tan","forest green","smoky gray"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: āśrama dāna scene—householder offering vastra and dakṣiṇā to a seated śrotriya with manuscript, gold leaf on halos and altar flames, rich reds/greens, ornate borders, gem-like detailing on vessels and ornaments, classical South Indian devotional composition.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate hermitage setting with delicate brushwork, brāhmaṇa teacher and students, donor respectfully offering gifts, soft forest palette, refined faces, gentle light and lyrical trees, subtle smoke from a small altar.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines—teacher with manuscript, donor in añjali posture, altar and lamp motifs, natural pigments with red/yellow/green dominance, stylized flora and expressive eyes, mural symmetry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: hermitage charity framed by lotus and floral borders, peacocks near the veranda, deep blue-green ground with gold accents, devotional symmetry emphasizing purity and dharma-support, intricate textile patterns."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft Vedic chanting","crackling altar fire","rustling leaves","gentle bell","quiet pauses"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तस्माद्विप्राय = तस्मात् विप्राय; पापोपशांतये = पाप-उपशान्तये.
FAQs
A śrotriya is a person properly trained in Vedic learning and tradition. The verse emphasizes that gifts offered to such a qualified recipient are considered especially meritorious and supportive of dharma.
The verse highlights three aims: attainment of heaven (svarga), worldly prosperity or well-being (bhūti), and the pacification or reduction of sins (pāpopaśānti).
It teaches that giving should be purposeful and dharmic—supporting genuine learning and virtue—while cultivating merit, social responsibility, and moral purification.