Shloka 25
The Marvel at Ānandakānana: A Lake-Vision and a Karmic Parable
Prabhāsa / Guru-tīrtha Context
यथारूपं तु भार्यायास्तथा शवो द्वितीयकः । स्त्रीशवस्य तु यन्मांसं शस्त्रेणोत्कृत्य सा ततः
yathārūpaṃ tu bhāryāyāstathā śavo dvitīyakaḥ | strīśavasya tu yanmāṃsaṃ śastreṇotkṛtya sā tataḥ
Dem Aussehen nach glich der Leichnam genau der Ehefrau, wahrlich ein zweiter Körper. Dann schnitt sie mit einer Waffe das Fleisch von jenem weiblichen Leichnam.
Unspecified narrator (context-dependent within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa Adhyaya 93)
Concept: Adharma arises when hunger and delusion eclipse discernment; the narrative shocks the listener into valuing sattvic restraint and refuge in dharma.
Application: Do not normalize moral compromise under pressure; seek lawful help, charity, and prayer rather than crossing irreversible ethical lines.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A nightmarish, uncanny duplicate of a woman lies like a mirror-image corpse, while a desperate figure raises a blade with trembling hands. The scene is framed as a moral horror tableau—blood-darkened flesh, the air heavy with taboo—hinting that this is a cautionary episode within a larger sacred narration.","primary_figures":["unnamed woman (or wife-like double)","unnamed man","female corpse-double"],"setting":"desolate wilderness edge near a shadowed grove; sparse ground, scattered leaves, a distant hint of water or marsh","lighting_mood":"moonlit with ominous chiaroscuro","color_palette":["ink black","dried-blood maroon","ashen grey","cold moon-silver","mud brown"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a deliberately didactic ‘adharma’ vignette framed like a moral panel—moonlit wilderness, corpse-double resembling a wife, a weapon in hand; heavy gold-leaf border and ornamental arch used ironically to contrast sacred art with a warning scene; rich reds, deep greens, and burnished gold accents, stylized figures with traditional jewelry muted and tarnished, dramatic negative space.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate brushwork depicting a stark nocturnal grove, pale moon over dark hills, the uncanny resemblance of the corpse to the wife rendered with refined facial features; restrained gore suggested through minimal crimson washes; lyrical yet unsettling composition with thin trees and cool greys/blues.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, flattened temple-wall aesthetic; the corpse-double and the living figure shown in profile with characteristic large eyes; limited natural pigments—deep red, yellow ochre, leaf green—used to convey taboo; a moralizing panel-like composition as if from a temple corridor of cautionary stories.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic, non-graphic reinterpretation—lotus borders and darkened floral motifs encircle a central caution scene; the ‘corpse-double’ suggested through pale silhouette, with peacocks absent and the border flora slightly withered; deep indigo ground with gold detailing, emphasizing this as a narrative warning within a devotional textile tradition."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low temple drum (mṛdaṅga)","wind through dry leaves","distant jackal cry","tense silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यथारूपम् = यथा + रूपम्; भार्यायास्तथा = भार्यायाः + तथा; शस्त्रेणोत्कृत्य = शस्त्रेण + उत्कृत्य; यन्मांसम् = यत् + मांसम् (लोप/सन्धि).
FAQs
It describes a corpse that appears identical to the wife—suggesting deception, illusion, or a supernatural substitution—and narrates the act of cutting flesh from that corpse.
Not by itself; it is a narrative fragment. The ethical or theological lesson depends on the surrounding story in Adhyaya 93.
This single verse does not name the speaker or divine/historical figures. Identifying them reliably requires the immediately preceding and following verses of the chapter.