Shloka 21
The Five Great Sacrifices: Supremacy of Honoring Parents, Pativrata Dharma, Truthfulness, and Śrāddha
तयोर्न फलमाप्नोति कीटवद्रमते महीम् । कथयामि पुरावृत्तं विप्राः शृणुत यत्नतः
tayorna phalamāpnoti kīṭavadramate mahīm | kathayāmi purāvṛttaṃ viprāḥ śṛṇuta yatnataḥ
সেই দুজনৰ মাজত এজন ফল নাপায়; কীৰ্তৰ দৰে কেৱল মাটিতেই ৰমে। মই এক পুৰাতন বৃত্তান্ত ক’ম—হে বিপ্ৰসকল, যত্নেৰে শুনা।
Unspecified narrator (speaker not identifiable from this single verse alone)
Concept: Without the right foundation (pitṛ-mātṛ-sevā), religious acts fail to yield phala; one remains earth-bound like a kīṭa.
Application: Audit motivations behind religious activity; remove pride, repair neglected duties, and practice grounded compassion before seeking ‘higher’ merits.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A storyteller-sage addresses a semicircle of attentive brāhmaṇas beneath a banyan tree, his hand raised in instruction. Near the edge of the scene, a small worm curls in damp soil, symbolizing the earth-bound mind that gains no fruit from hollow piety.","primary_figures":["teaching narrator-sage","assembly of brāhmaṇas","symbolic worm (kīṭa)"],"setting":"forest āśrama clearing with kuśa mats, palm-leaf manuscripts, banyan roots, earthen ground","lighting_mood":"forest dappled with a serious undertone","color_palette":["leaf green","earth brown","ivory white","smoke gray","vermillion"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a didactic court-of-sages scene—guru-like narrator seated on a carved pedestal under a stylized banyan, brāhmaṇas listening with añjali; include a symbolic earth patch with a small worm rendered as a moral emblem; gold leaf highlights on halos, manuscript edges, and ornaments; rich reds and greens with temple-arch framing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate forest discourse—sage gesturing, brāhmaṇas in white seated on grass; delicate depiction of banyan leaves and a tiny worm in the soil near a lotus-shaped water pot; cool palette, refined faces, gentle gradients, lyrical naturalism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines—sage with expressive eyes teaching, brāhmaṇas in attentive poses; stylized soil motif with the worm as a clear symbol; warm red and yellow background bands, green foliage borders, temple-wall aesthetic.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: narrative panel framed by ornate floral borders—central teaching assembly, with symbolic earth motif at the bottom; lotus and creeper patterns, deep blue ground with gold accents; integrate peacocks subtly as witnesses to śāstra-kathā."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["birds in the grove","rustle of leaves","soft hand cymbals (very light)","brief silence before ‘purāvṛtta’"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: phalamāpnoti = phalam + āpnoti (a + ā → ā).
FAQs
It contrasts higher spiritual attainment with mere earth-bound enjoyment: one who remains attached to the “earth” (material concerns) is compared to a worm and fails to gain the intended fruit (phala).
Purāṇic teaching often proceeds through exemplary stories; the verse signals a transition into a traditional illustrative narrative meant to convey the moral point.
The listeners are urged to hear attentively and discern the difference between superficial enjoyment and actions/knowledge that yield lasting spiritual results.