Shloka 10
The Horse’s Journey
to Cyavana’s Hermitage
कथं मतिस्तेऽवगतान्यथासतां कुलप्रसूतेः कुलदूषणं त्विदम् । बिभर्षि जारं यदपत्रपाकुलं पितुः स्वभर्तुश्च नयस्यधस्तमाम्
kathaṃ matiste'vagatānyathāsatāṃ kulaprasūteḥ kuladūṣaṇaṃ tvidam | bibharṣi jāraṃ yadapatrapākulaṃ pituḥ svabhartuśca nayasyadhastamām
Wie konnte dein Sinn so verkehrt werden, du aus edlem Geschlecht, da diese Tat doch Schande für die Linie ist? Denn du hältst dir einen Buhlen, schamlos und aufgewühlt, und stürzt die Ehre deines Vaters und deines eigenen Gatten in die tiefste Finsternis.
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (a reproaching speaker addressing a woman of noble birth)
Concept: Kula-dharma and personal conduct are intertwined; shameless acts stain both paternal and marital honor, producing social and karmic darkness.
Application: Before acting, consider second-order harm: to family trust, to those who depend on your integrity, and to your own inner clarity.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A noblewoman stands at the center, jewelry heavy yet face pale, while a disheveled paramour clings close, eyes restless. Behind them loom shadowy silhouettes of her father and aged husband, their honor depicted as a fading lamp, as the reproacher’s words fall like thunder into a darkened hall.","primary_figures":["reproaching speaker","noble-born woman","paramour (jāra)","father (in silhouette)","husband (in silhouette)"],"setting":"dim palace corridor leading to an inner shrine; a lamp guttering near a lotus-carved doorway","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["lamp gold","charcoal black","wine red","tarnished silver","midnight blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: intense admonition scene in a palace—woman in rich attire, paramour shameless and agitated; father and husband shown with dignified halos dimmed by shadow; gold leaf highlights on ornaments and the fading lamp, dramatic contrast of reds, blacks, and antique gold.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: psychological drama with refined faces—woman’s conflicted gaze, paramour’s restless posture; cool nocturnal palette, architectural depth, a small shrine lamp as symbolic moral light.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold, moralistic composition—speaker’s stern eyes, woman’s downcast face, paramour’s exaggerated agitation; strong black outlines, deep reds/yellows/greens, moonlit blue wash for ‘adhastamām’ darkness.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic framing—lotus border turning darker at the bottom to suggest moral descent; central figures arranged beneath a small Viṣṇu emblem; intricate patterns, deep blues and gold, with a fading lamp motif."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low drum pulse","distant thunder","temple bell fade","heavy silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तेऽवगता = ते + अवगता; त्विदम् = तु + इदम्; स्वभर्तुश्च = स्वभर्तुः + च; नयस्यधस्तमाम् = नयसि + अधस्तमाम् (इकारस्य यण्-सन्धिः/य्-आगमः)
FAQs
It condemns conduct seen as violating dharma—specifically, maintaining a secret lover—framing it as a disgrace to one’s lineage and a fall from honorable conduct (naya).
“Jāra” commonly means a paramour/illicit lover, used here as a term of moral reproach.
It portrays the act as dragging down the “naya” (ethical standing and social honor) of both the woman’s father and her husband, emphasizing responsibility to family and social order.