Shloka 61
Episode of King Vena: Deceptive Doctrine, Compassion, and the Contest over Dharma
विनिंद्य धर्मं सकलं सवेदं दानं सपुण्यं परयज्ञरूपम् । पापस्वभावैर्बहुबोधितो नृपस्त्वंगस्य पुत्रो भुवि तेन पापिना
viniṃdya dharmaṃ sakalaṃ savedaṃ dānaṃ sapuṇyaṃ parayajñarūpam | pāpasvabhāvairbahubodhito nṛpastvaṃgasya putro bhuvi tena pāpinā
Indem er das ganze Dharma samt den Veden schmäht und die Gabe verachtet—an sich verdienstvoll und von der Natur eines höchsten yajña—lebte auf Erden ein König, der Sohn des Aṅga; und, immer wieder von jenem sündigen Mann böser Art belehrt, wurde er selbst sündig.
Unspecified narrator (contextual narration within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa)
Concept: Reviling Veda-dharma and scorning dāna destroys merit and spreads sin through bad counsel.
Application: Choose teachers carefully; honor śāstra-guided ethics; practice charity as a daily yajña (food, time, protection, truthfulness).
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: city
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dark-counseling ascetic figure gestures dismissively toward a pile of Vedic manuscripts and a sacrificial altar, while a young king listens, his face conflicted. In the background, a neglected yajña-kuṇḍa smolders out, and the people’s offerings lie scattered—signaling dharma’s unraveling.","primary_figures":["king (son of Aṅga)","sinful counselor (Jain man as portrayed polemically)","priests (in background)","common people (in background)"],"setting":"Royal court transitioning into a deserted sacrificial ground; overturned dāna vessels; ignored fire-altar","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["smoke gray","deep maroon","ash white","dull gold","indigo"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a court scene where the king is swayed by a dark-robed counselor; Vedic palm-leaf texts and a yajña-kuṇḍa shown neglected, gold leaf used ironically on royal ornaments, heavy reds and greens, expressive gestures of rejection, ornate pillars and archways.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate palace veranda with fine linework; the counselor points away from a small altar, the king’s posture tilts toward him; muted twilight palette, delicate faces, symbolic extinguished fire and scattered flowers, narrative clarity with restrained drama.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: strong outlines, stylized flames fading in the altar, the king and counselor in bold poses; saturated reds/yellows/greens with dark indigo background, moral tension conveyed through eye direction and hand mudrās.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: allegorical composition—central king turning from a stylized yajña and dāna vessels; border of withering lotuses and dim lamps; deep blues and maroons, intricate patterns, symbolic peacocks looking away, emphasizing dharma’s decline."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low drum pulse","distant thunder","crackling dying fire","court murmurs","sudden silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पापस्वभावैर्बहुबोधितो = पापस्वभावैः + बहुबोधितः (ः + ब् → र्ब्); नृपस्त्वंगस्य = नृपः + त्वम् + अङ्गस्य (visarga sandhi and word-joining in recitation)
FAQs
It warns that reviling dharma, the Vedas, and charitable giving leads to moral downfall—especially when one is influenced by repeated instruction from a wicked advisor.
The verse frames charity as a high spiritual act comparable to (or embodying) the essence of a great yajña, emphasizing its religious merit and transformative power.
The king becomes sinful because he is “bahu-bodhitaḥ”—repeatedly indoctrinated—by a pāpī of pāpa-svabhāva, highlighting the danger of sustained corrupt influence.