Shloka 31
Rāma’s Meeting with Agastya: Gift-Ethics (Dāna) and the Tale of King Śveta
ब्राह्मणेन तु यद्दत्तं तन्मे त्वं वक्तुमर्हसि । सपुत्रो गृहवानस्मि समर्थोस्मि महामुने
brāhmaṇena tu yaddattaṃ tanme tvaṃ vaktumarhasi | saputro gṛhavānasmi samarthosmi mahāmune
Sage mir, o großer Weiser, was der Brāhmaṇa gegeben hat; du sollst es mir darlegen. Ich habe einen Sohn, ich habe ein Haus, und ich bin dazu imstande (es zu übernehmen), o Mahāmuni.
Unspecified interlocutor (a householder addressing a great sage)
Concept: A gṛhastha’s capability and responsibility: inquiry into righteous action and willingness to undertake what is proper.
Application: Ask for clarity before acting; align resources (family, livelihood, strength) with ethical commitments rather than impulse.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A confident householder, with a child at his side and the signs of a thriving home behind him, respectfully questions a forest sage. The scene balances worldly stability with spiritual hunger: capability becomes a vessel for dharma.","primary_figures":["gṛhastha (householder)","mahāmuni (sage)","young son (suta)"],"setting":"Threshold between village life and hermitage—granary baskets, a tethered cow, and a shaded grove where the sage sits.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["warm saffron","earth brown","ivory","peacock blue","fresh green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: the householder in fine garments and modest jewelry stands near his small son, addressing a seated sage; background shows a stylized home with cow and grain; gold leaf highlights on ornaments and halos, rich reds/greens, symmetrical composition, devotional dignity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a lyrical borderland scene—village huts fading into a grove; the sage under a tree, the householder leaning forward in inquiry; delicate brushwork, cool shadows, refined faces, gentle domestic details (cow, water pot).","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines; the sage with palm-leaf manuscript gesture, the householder with son and household symbols; strong red/yellow/green palette, ornamental frame, temple-wall gravity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornate floral borders and lotus motifs; the questioning householder and sage centered like a moral vignette; peacocks and cows in the margins; deep blues with gold detailing, emphasizing dharma as offering."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["morning birds","cow bells (distant)","rustle of leaves","soft tanpura drone (imagined)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यद्दत्तं = यत् + दत्तम्; तन्मे = तत् + मे; वक्तुमर्हसि = वक्तुम् + अर्हसि; सपुत्रो = स + पुत्रः; गृहवानस्मि = गृहवान् + अस्मि; समर्थोस्मि = समर्थः + अस्मि; महामुने = महा + मुने (voc.).
FAQs
The speaker asks the great sage to explain what exactly was given by a brāhmaṇa, implying the details matter for understanding or fulfilling a dharmic instruction.
It signals social standing and readiness: as a settled gṛhastha with family support, the speaker claims capability to undertake a duty, vow, gift, journey, or prescribed act.
It emphasizes humility before learned guidance and the importance of clarity in dharma: one should ask and understand properly before acting, even when confident of one’s capacity.