Shloka 24
Pātāla-varṇana (Nārada’s Description of the Netherworld) / पातालवर्णनम्
एतच्छत्रात् परिभ्रष्टं सलिलं सोमनिर्मलम् । तमसा मूर्छितं भाति येन नारच्छति दर्शनम्,इस छत्रसे गिरा हुआ चन्द्रमाके समान निर्मल जल अन्धकारसे आच्छन्न रहता है, जिससे दृष्टिपथमें नहीं आता है
etac chatrāt paribhraṣṭaṃ salilaṃ somanirmalam | tamasā mūrcchitaṃ bhāti yena nāracchati darśanam ||
Kaṇva sprach: „Das Wasser, das von diesem Schirm herabfällt—klar und rein wie der Mond—erscheint, als sei es von Dunkelheit betäubt und verschlungen, sodass es nicht in den Bereich des Sehens gelangt.“
कण्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
Purity or truth can be rendered ineffective when covered by tamas (darkness/ignorance); ethical clarity depends on removing obscuring conditions so that right perception (darśana) becomes possible.
Kaṇva uses a vivid simile: water that is naturally clear like moonlight, once fallen and covered by darkness, cannot be seen—serving as a moral illustration within his counsel.