Shloka 24
Right Conduct, Offenses Against Brāhmaṇas, Truthfulness, and the Greatness of the Cow
Go-Māhātmya
पक्षवातेन चांगानि प्रकंपंते सदैव हि । मातरं पितरं विप्रं स्नातकं च तपस्विनम्
pakṣavātena cāṃgāni prakaṃpaṃte sadaiva hi | mātaraṃ pitaraṃ vipraṃ snātakaṃ ca tapasvinam
Durch Lähmung beben seine Glieder unaufhörlich. So ergeht es dem, der Mutter und Vater, einen Brāhmaṇa, einen Snātaka —nach heiliger Lehre und rituellem Bad— und einen Asketen verletzt oder verachtet.
Unspecified (context-dependent within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa Adhyaya 48; likely a narrator in a dharma/karma teaching passage)
Concept: Disrespect toward parents and venerable spiritual persons fractures one’s stability; reverence (guru-mātṛ-pitṛ-bhakti) sustains inner and outer steadiness.
Application: Daily acts of respect: serve parents/elders, speak gently to teachers, support ascetics and sincere students; cultivate gratitude to reduce reactive speech and behavior.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A figure stands with trembling limbs, hands half-raised in regret, while behind him appear luminous silhouettes of mother, father, a brāhmaṇa, a snātaka with sacred thread and water-pot, and an ascetic with matted hair. The tremor is painted like ripples through the body, as if dharma itself has been shaken by disrespect.","primary_figures":["a remorseful offender","mother","father","brāhmaṇa","snātaka (graduate of Vedic study)","tapasvin (ascetic)"],"setting":"a simple hermitage edge with a small yajña-kuṇḍa and a household courtyard merging symbolically","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit with a stern, instructive glow","color_palette":["lamp-flame amber","earth brown","ivory white","deep maroon","sage green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central trembling figure with expressive posture, surrounded by haloed elders—mother and father seated, a brāhmaṇa and snātaka holding kamaṇḍalu and scripture, an ascetic with jaṭā; gold leaf halos and ornate borders, rich reds/greens, traditional iconographic symmetry conveying moral gravity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate depiction of a hermitage scene, elders calm and luminous, the offender shown with subtle shaking lines; cool natural palette, refined faces, small details like sacred thread, water-pot, and leaf hut, lyrical moral storytelling.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized eyes, the trembling indicated by repeated contour lines; elders arranged in a semi-circle like a moral mandala, pigments of red/yellow/green with black accents, temple-wall didactic clarity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: framed by floral and tulasi motifs, a devotional-moral tableau where elders appear as living ‘devas’ around the central figure; deep blue background with gold highlights, intricate borders, peacocks and lotuses symbolizing conscience and purity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["soft mridanga strokes","temple bell punctuations","wind through trees at an āśrama","brief silence between clauses"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: चांगानि→च अङ्गानि; प्रकंपंते→प्रकम्पन्ते (अनुस्वार/वर्तनी भेद); सदैव→सदा एव.
FAQs
It links unethical behavior—especially disrespect toward parents, learned brāhmaṇas, snātakas, and ascetics—with a karmic consequence described as bodily affliction (trembling/paralysis).
A snātaka is a person who has completed prescribed Vedic study and the concluding ritual bath, representing disciplined learning and adherence to dharma.
Reverence and non-harm toward key pillars of dharmic society—parents, spiritual teachers/priests, disciplined students, and ascetics—are presented as essential, with serious consequences for violation.