Shloka 99
Rāma’s Meeting with Agastya: Gift-Ethics (Dāna) and the Tale of King Śveta
न हि दत्ता गृहे भ्रांत्या मोहादतिथये तदा । तेन स्वर्गगतस्यापि क्षुत्पिपासे तवाधुना
na hi dattā gṛhe bhrāṃtyā mohādatithaye tadā | tena svargagatasyāpi kṣutpipāse tavādhunā
Denn damals wurde dem Gast im Hause aus Verwirrung und Verblendung keine Gastfreundschaft erwiesen; darum erfährst du, obgleich du den Himmel erreicht hast, jetzt Hunger und Durst.
Unspecified (context-dependent dialogue in Padma Purāṇa, Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa 1.36)
Concept: Neglecting hospitality to a guest (atithi-satkara) yields karmic deprivation; merit is incomplete without compassionate giving.
Application: Never turn away a guest or someone seeking basic help; offer at least water, kind words, and simple food—small acts prevent large karmic consequences.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"In a luminous svarga garden with jeweled trees and celestial architecture, a deva-like soul clutches its throat in thirst, eyes wide with dawning regret. A translucent vision overlays the scene: a past-life doorway where a weary guest stood unwelcomed, the householder turning away in confusion—two worlds stitched together by karma.","primary_figures":["Soul experiencing hunger/thirst in svarga","Unwelcomed guest (atithi) in past-life vision","Householder in past-life vision"],"setting":"Foreground: svarga garden with crystal fountains that paradoxically do not relieve the sufferer; Background/overlay: a simple earthly home threshold where hospitality was denied.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["celestial gold","turquoise","amethyst purple","ivory white","shadowed umber"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: split-scene composition—upper svarga with gold leaf brilliance, jeweled trees, embossed halos; lower earthly doorway in rich earthy reds and greens; the karmic link shown by a gold-embossed ribbon of light connecting the denied guest to the thirsty soul, ornate borders and gem-like detailing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: elegant two-register narrative, cool celestial palette above with delicate architecture, warm rustic palette below with a humble doorway; refined facial expressions showing regret and fatigue; subtle cloud bands separating realms, fine linework and lyrical storytelling.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, dramatic eyes conveying thirst and remorse, svarga rendered with stylized floral abundance, earthly doorway simplified but expressive; strong red-yellow-green palette with ornamental borders like a temple moral panel.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornate floral borders and lotus motifs, central figure in svarga with decorative fountains and trees, inset vignette of the denied atithi at a doorway, deep blue ground with gold highlights, symmetrical devotional framing of a moral tale."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["distant celestial music muted","dry wind motif","single bell strike","echoing silence after the moral line"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: मोहादतिथये = मोहात् + अतिथये; स्वर्गगतस्यापि = स्वर्गगतस्य + अपि; क्षुत्पिपासे = क्षुत्-पिपासे (द्वन्द्व, dual).
FAQs
It emphasizes atithi-dharma (duty of hospitality): neglecting a guest out of confusion or delusion leads to karmic consequences.
The verse teaches that unresolved karmic debts can manifest as suffering (like hunger and thirst) despite attaining heavenly realms.
A householder should welcome and serve guests appropriately; failure to do so is treated as a moral lapse with lasting results.