Shloka 62
Determination of the Householder’s Dharma
Dāna: Types, Recipients, Timing, and Fruits
सपूर्वाभ्यधिकः पापी नरके पच्यते नरः । स्वाध्यायवंतो ये विप्रा विद्यावंतो जितेंद्रियाः
sapūrvābhyadhikaḥ pāpī narake pacyate naraḥ | svādhyāyavaṃto ye viprā vidyāvaṃto jiteṃdriyāḥ
إنّ الرجل الذي يزداد إثمًا على ما كان عليه يُطبَخ في الجحيم. أمّا أولئك البراهمة المواظبون على تلاوة الفيدا ودراستها، الموهوبون بالمعرفة الحقّة، القاهرون لحواسّهم—فهم من مرتبة أخرى.
Unknown (context not provided; likely within a Purāṇic dialogue in Svarga-khaṇḍa, Adhyaya 57)
Concept: Increasing sin leads to severe karmic retribution; Vedic study, true knowledge, and sense-control mark a higher spiritual order.
Application: Track moral drift: avoid ‘worse than before’ habits; cultivate daily svādhyāya, restraint (especially speech and consumption), and association with the disciplined.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A stark split-scene: on one side, a shadowy infernal cauldron where a figure symbolizing escalating pāpa is ‘cooked’ amid smoke and iron implements; on the other, luminous brāhmaṇas sit with palm-leaf texts, calm eyes and restrained posture, embodying svādhyāya and jitendriyatā. The contrast reads as a moral diptych—terror of consequence and serenity of discipline.","primary_figures":["a sinful man (symbolic)","Yama’s attendants (yamadūtas)","svādhyāyī brāhmaṇas","a serene teacher (ācārya)"],"setting":"infernal naraka landscape juxtaposed with a quiet hermitage study hall","lighting_mood":"dramatic chiaroscuro","color_palette":["charcoal black","smoke gray","ember orange","ash white","saffron yellow"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a two-panel composition—left panel shows naraka with stylized flames, iron cauldron, yamadūtas, and a terrified sinner; right panel shows radiant brāhmaṇas with gold-leaf halos holding palm-leaf manuscripts, seated on kusa mats; heavy gold embellishment on the virtuous side, deep reds and blacks on the infernal side, ornate borders emphasizing moral contrast.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined diptych with delicate brushwork—left a dark rocky ravine with smoky reds and subdued figures; right a cool, tranquil āśrama with cypress-like trees, a small water pot, and brāhmaṇas reading; subtle facial expressions, lyrical naturalism, balanced composition.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines; left side dominated by reds and blacks with stylized flames and yamadūtas; right side in warm yellows/greens with brāhmaṇas, sacred thread details, and manuscript bundles; temple-wall symmetry and decorative bands.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: moral allegory framed by lotus borders—dark lower register with swirling smoke motifs, upper register with saffron-clad brāhmaṇas and peacocks near a manuscript pavilion; deep blues and gold accents, intricate floral patterns, narrative clarity through symmetry."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["low drum","distant thunder","conch shell","sudden silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स + पूर्व + अभ्यधिकः → सपूर्वाभ्यधिकः (समास/सन्धि-समुच्चय); जित + इन्द्रियाः → जितेन्द्रियाः.
FAQs
It contrasts the karmic consequence of increasing sin (leading to torment in hell) with the ideal qualities of a disciplined brāhmaṇa—Vedic study (svādhyāya), true knowledge (vidyā), and sense-control (jitendriya).
Literally “is cooked in hell,” it is a conventional Purāṇic expression for intense suffering as a result of harmful actions (pāpa) and their karmic fruition.
The verse presents a complete ethical-spiritual profile: svādhyāya grounds one in sacred learning, vidyā implies internalized wisdom (not mere scholarship), and jitendriyatā indicates character and restraint—together marking a higher standard of dharma.