Shloka 59
Yayāti’s Summons to Heaven and the Teaching on Old Age, the Five-Element Body, and Self–Body Discernment
सत्यधर्मादिकं कर्म येन कायेन मानवः । समर्जयति वै मर्त्यस्तं कस्माद्विप्रसर्जयेत्
satyadharmādikaṃ karma yena kāyena mānavaḥ | samarjayati vai martyastaṃ kasmādviprasarjayet
Warum sollte ein Sterblicher eben jenen Leib verwerfen, durch den der Mensch Taten wie Wahrhaftigkeit und Dharma vollbringt und so Verdienst erwirbt?
Unknown (context not provided; likely within a Pulastya–Bhīṣma discourse typical of the Bhūmi-khaṇḍa)
Concept: The body is an instrument for dharmic action; one should not despise or prematurely abandon it, since it enables satya and dharma that generate puṇya.
Application: Care for health and discipline the senses so the body can serve truthfulness, charity, worship, and vows; avoid nihilistic self-harm or despair.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A teacher addresses a thoughtful listener, pointing to the human body as a sacred instrument: hands offering water, lips speaking truth, feet walking toward a temple. The composition contrasts a shadowy impulse to renounce life with a luminous path of embodied dharma.","primary_figures":["teacher/narrator figure","human devotee"],"setting":"Hermitage courtyard with a small Viṣṇu shrine in the background; ritual implements (kamaṇḍalu, tulasi pot, dāna vessel) arranged neatly","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["warm gold","earth brown","saffron","peacock blue","ivory"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central devotee with hands in añjali before a small Viṣṇu shrine, gold leaf highlighting the shrine arch and halo; the teacher gestures toward the devotee’s body (hands, speech, posture) as instruments of satya-dharma; rich reds/greens, ornate borders, jewel-like detailing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: serene courtyard scene with delicate lines; the devotee shown in three small vignettes within one frame—speaking truth, giving alms, and performing pūjā—set against soft hills and trees; cool yet luminous palette and refined expressions.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines; the body depicted symbolically with ritual gestures; a stylized Viṣṇu emblem (śaṅkha-cakra) behind; strong red/yellow/green with rhythmic decorative motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional tableau with lotus borders; the devotee’s embodied acts arranged around a central lamp and a small Viṣṇu icon; deep blues and gold, intricate floral patterns suggesting vrata discipline."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft conch in distance","temple lamp crackle","gentle drone (tanpura)","morning birds"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सत्यधर्मादिकम् → सत्यधर्म + आदिकम्; मर्त्यस्तम् → मर्त्यः + तम् (विसर्ग-लोप); अन्यत्र स्पष्टपदानि।
FAQs
It teaches that the human body is the practical instrument for living dharma—truthfulness, righteousness, and other virtues—so abandoning it is portrayed as irrational when it enables merit-bearing action.
No. The verse argues for valuing embodied life as the means to practice virtue and accumulate merit, which contrasts with ideologies of needless self-destruction or contempt for the body.
It frames everyday ethical discipline—speaking truth, acting righteously, doing good deeds—as spiritually meaningful precisely because they are performed through embodied effort.