Shloka 2
Prohibitions and Rules of Right Conduct (Ācāra): Theft, Speech, Purity, Residence, and Social Boundaries
तृणं वा यदि वा शाकं मृदं वा जलमेव च । परस्यापहरञ्जंतुर्नरकं प्रतिपद्यते
tṛṇaṃ vā yadi vā śākaṃ mṛdaṃ vā jalameva ca | parasyāpaharañjaṃturnarakaṃ pratipadyate
তৃণ হোক বা শাক, মাটির ঢেলা হোক বা জলই হোক—যে প্রাণী পরের বস্তু অপহরণ করে, সে নরকে পতিত হয়।
Unspecified narrator (contextual speaker not provided in the excerpt)
Concept: Asteya is absolute: stealing even trivial items (grass, vegetables, earth, water) leads to naraka—intention and violation matter, not market value.
Application: Cultivate scrupulous honesty: avoid ‘small’ appropriations (office supplies, unreturned loans, uncredited work, unauthorized water/electricity use); practice restitution and transparent consent.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A stark moral tableau: a person furtively lifts a small bundle—grass, a gourd, a clod of earth, and a water pot—while shadowy messengers of Yama loom behind. The scene transitions into a distant, smoky naraka landscape, emphasizing that even ‘minor’ theft casts a long karmic shadow.","primary_figures":["a thief (symbolic human figure)","Yama-dūtas (messengers of Yama)","Yama (implied, distant throne silhouette)"],"setting":"Village edge near fields and a communal water source, dissolving into a hellish ravine with iron-red rocks and smoke.","lighting_mood":"storm-dark with ember glow","color_palette":["iron red","charcoal black","ashen gray","sickly green","dull copper"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dramatic moral allegory—foreground thief taking humble items, background Yama-dūtas with gold leaf accents on weapons and ornaments; intense reds and blacks, ornate framing, stylized flames and clouds, traditional iconographic severity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: narrative split-scene—quiet rural theft in delicate detail, with a haunting distant naraka rendered in muted smoky washes; refined figures, expressive eyes, subtle moral tension, cool-to-warm gradient sky.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined Yama-dūtas emerging behind the thief; emblematic items (grass, vegetable, earth, water pot) clearly stylized; flat pigments with red/black dominance, temple-wall symmetry, fierce eyes and rhythmic flame motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic cautionary panel framed by floral borders; central figure with the four stolen items as icons; dark indigo ground with copper-gold highlights, stylized clouds and flame motifs, didactic banner-like composition."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low drum pulse","thunder rumble","metallic clink","conch warning blast","sudden silence at 'narakam'"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: जलमेव = जलम् + एव; परस्यापहरञ्जंतुर्नरकं = परस्य + अपहरन् + जन्तुः + नरकम् (सन्धि-समाससदृश संयोगः); अपहरन् जन्तुः = participle + noun (agent).
FAQs
It teaches asteya (non-stealing): taking anything that belongs to another—even something seemingly trivial like grass, water, or soil—is treated as theft with serious karmic consequences.
To emphasize that moral accountability is not based on the material value of an object; the act of violating another’s ownership or right is itself the wrongdoing.
The verse states that the thief “attains hell” (narakaṃ pratipadyate), indicating severe post-mortem suffering as a result of the act of stealing.