Shloka 96
Rāma’s Meeting with Agastya: Gift-Ethics (Dāna) and the Tale of King Śveta
ततः पितामहः सम्यक्चिरं ध्यात्वा महामुने । मामुवाच ततो वाक्यं नास्ति भोज्यं स्वदेहजम्
tataḥ pitāmahaḥ samyakciraṃ dhyātvā mahāmune | māmuvāca tato vākyaṃ nāsti bhojyaṃ svadehajam
Da sann Pitāmaha, nachdem er lange und tief nachgesonnen hatte, o großer Weiser, zu mir diese Worte: „Es gibt keine Speise, die aus dem eigenen Leib geboren ist.“
Brahmā (Pitāmaha), addressing the narrator/interlocutor (unnamed here, vocative: mahāmune)
Concept: One cannot treat one’s own body as consumable ‘food’; embodied life is for dharma and realization, not self-destruction.
Application: Maintain the body with rightful means; avoid self-harm and rationalizations that violate compassion and purity.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Brahmā sits motionless in long contemplation, eyes half-closed, as time itself seems to pause around him. When he speaks, the air clears like a veil lifting, and the listener-sage receives a stark, compassionate truth about the body’s sanctity.","primary_figures":["Brahmā (Pitāmaha)","Mahāmune (listener-sage)"],"setting":"A quiet lotus-throne chamber with suspended garlands, manuscripts, and a still kamandalu; the cosmos appears as a faint mandala behind Brahmā’s head.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["antique gold","smoky gray","lotus white","maroon","midnight blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Brahmā in meditative posture on a lotus throne, embossed gold halo and aureole, ornate crown and jewelry, the sage seated respectfully below, palm-leaf manuscripts and kamandalu rendered with gold leaf, rich reds and greens framing the scene.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate interior of a lotus pavilion, Brahmā calm and luminous, the sage attentive, delicate linework on manuscripts, cool blues and soft whites, minimalistic yet lyrical cosmic backdrop.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Brahmā with bold outlines and large expressive eyes, symmetrical ornamentation, warm earthy pigments, the sage in simple ochre cloth, stylized lotus and mandala background like a temple wall panel.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central meditative Brahmā on lotus, ornate floral borders, symmetrical motifs of manuscripts and water pots, deep blue ground with gold highlights, devotional textile symmetry."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["soft drone (tanpura)","gentle bell at phrase endings","silence between lines"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: samyakciraṃ = samyak+ciram; māmuvāca = mām+uvāca (m+u→mu); nāsti = na+asti (a+a→ā).
FAQs
It conveys a principle about sustenance and propriety: one should not treat what is “born of one’s own body” as food—implying a boundary against self-consuming, self-harming, or intrinsically improper means of nourishment.
Brahmā (called Pitāmaha, “Grandsire”) is speaking to an interlocutor addressed as “mahāmune” (“great sage”), likely the narrator within the chapter’s dialogue frame.
Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa often presents creation-era dialogues where cosmic authorities (like Brahmā) establish norms (dharma) for living beings; this verse reads as a normative instruction arising from Brahmā’s prolonged contemplation.