Shloka 40
The Marvel at Ānandakānana: A Lake-Vision and a Karmic Parable
Prabhāsa / Guru-tīrtha Context
प्रहसेते तदा ते द्वे स्त्रियौ तात वदस्व नः । ऊचतुस्तौ तथा चान्ये देहिदेहीति वा पुनः
prahasete tadā te dve striyau tāta vadasva naḥ | ūcatustau tathā cānye dehidehīti vā punaḥ
Da lachten jene beiden Frauen und sprachen: „Ehrwürdiger Herr, sage es uns.“ Ebenso redeten auch die anderen immer wieder und riefen: „Gib! Gib!“
Narrative voice (contextual speaker not specified in this single verse)
Concept: Unrestrained craving and shameless demand (“dehi dehi”) signals inner poverty; discernment is needed before giving or following voices that incite greed.
Application: Practice mindful charity: give with clarity (to worthy causes, without enabling harm), and notice the mind’s own “dehi dehi” impulses before acting.
Primary Rasa: hasya
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Two women, half-shadowed and unsettling, laugh with sharp, echoing mirth while a small crowd behind them chants insistently, “Dehi! Dehi!” A virtuous traveler or sage stands composed, holding a water-pot and staff, his calm gaze contrasting the clamorous demand, as if dharma itself is being tested in a roadside encounter.","primary_figures":["two terrifying women (symbolic yakṣiṇī/pretī-like figures)","virtuous male interlocutor (sage/traveler)","chorus of petitioners"],"setting":"A dusty pilgrimage road near a grove, with a distant glimpse of a tīrtha-ghāṭa; scattered lotus leaves and a faint temple silhouette suggest sacred proximity amid moral disturbance.","lighting_mood":"forest dappled","color_palette":["smoky indigo","ochre dust","lamp-gold highlights","ashen gray","lotus pink accents"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a composed sage with kamandalu and staff stands at the center, haloed with subtle gold leaf; to one side two eerie women laugh, their ornaments rendered with gem-studded detail; behind them a crowd gestures ‘give, give’; rich maroon and emerald textiles, heavy gold embellishment, stylized South Indian temple outline in the background, dramatic contrast between divine calm and worldly clamour.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate linework shows two women with unsettling expressions laughing softly, while a small group repeats ‘dehi dehi’ with pleading hands; the sage/traveler stands serene, eyes lowered in restraint; cool hillside tones, a winding path toward a distant river-ghāṭa, lyrical trees and fine textile patterns, refined faces and gentle shading.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and flat natural pigments depict the sage in dignified stance, the two women with exaggerated eyes and expressive laughter, and a rhythmic row of petitioners; temple-lamp motifs and lotus borders frame the scene; dominant reds, yellows, greens with controlled indigo shadows, wall-painting symmetry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a devotional border of lotuses and creepers encloses a moral tableau—crowd chanting ‘dehi dehi’ near a sacred path; the sage stands like a still axis; peacocks and cows appear at the margins as symbols of dharma; deep blue ground with gold detailing, intricate floral filigree, Nathdwara-inspired ornamentation."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["dry wind","distant temple bell","murmuring crowd","footsteps on dust"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: चान्ये = च + अन्ये; देहिदेहीति = देहि + देहि + इति.
FAQs
The verse reports speech by “two women” and “others,” but the broader chapter context is needed to identify the named characters and the main narrator of the dialogue.
“Dehi dehi” is an emphatic repetition meaning “Give! Give!”—a forceful or insistent request, often used to convey urgency or clamoring.
It conveys a lively scene: laughter, a direct request to “tell us,” and a crowd-like insistence for something to be given, suggesting social pressure or eager demand.