Shloka 21
The Five Great Sacrifices: Supremacy of Honoring Parents, Pativrata Dharma, Truthfulness, and Śrāddha
तयोर्न फलमाप्नोति कीटवद्रमते महीम् । कथयामि पुरावृत्तं विप्राः शृणुत यत्नतः
tayorna phalamāpnoti kīṭavadramate mahīm | kathayāmi purāvṛttaṃ viprāḥ śṛṇuta yatnataḥ
Von diesen beiden erlangt der eine nicht die Frucht; wie ein Wurm erfreut er sich nur an der Erde. Ich will eine uralte Begebenheit erzählen—o Brāhmaṇas, hört mit Sorgfalt zu.
Unspecified narrator (speaker not identifiable from this single verse alone)
Concept: Without the right foundation (pitṛ-mātṛ-sevā), religious acts fail to yield phala; one remains earth-bound like a kīṭa.
Application: Audit motivations behind religious activity; remove pride, repair neglected duties, and practice grounded compassion before seeking ‘higher’ merits.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A storyteller-sage addresses a semicircle of attentive brāhmaṇas beneath a banyan tree, his hand raised in instruction. Near the edge of the scene, a small worm curls in damp soil, symbolizing the earth-bound mind that gains no fruit from hollow piety.","primary_figures":["teaching narrator-sage","assembly of brāhmaṇas","symbolic worm (kīṭa)"],"setting":"forest āśrama clearing with kuśa mats, palm-leaf manuscripts, banyan roots, earthen ground","lighting_mood":"forest dappled with a serious undertone","color_palette":["leaf green","earth brown","ivory white","smoke gray","vermillion"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a didactic court-of-sages scene—guru-like narrator seated on a carved pedestal under a stylized banyan, brāhmaṇas listening with añjali; include a symbolic earth patch with a small worm rendered as a moral emblem; gold leaf highlights on halos, manuscript edges, and ornaments; rich reds and greens with temple-arch framing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate forest discourse—sage gesturing, brāhmaṇas in white seated on grass; delicate depiction of banyan leaves and a tiny worm in the soil near a lotus-shaped water pot; cool palette, refined faces, gentle gradients, lyrical naturalism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines—sage with expressive eyes teaching, brāhmaṇas in attentive poses; stylized soil motif with the worm as a clear symbol; warm red and yellow background bands, green foliage borders, temple-wall aesthetic.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: narrative panel framed by ornate floral borders—central teaching assembly, with symbolic earth motif at the bottom; lotus and creeper patterns, deep blue ground with gold accents; integrate peacocks subtly as witnesses to śāstra-kathā."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["birds in the grove","rustle of leaves","soft hand cymbals (very light)","brief silence before ‘purāvṛtta’"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: phalamāpnoti = phalam + āpnoti (a + ā → ā).
FAQs
It contrasts higher spiritual attainment with mere earth-bound enjoyment: one who remains attached to the “earth” (material concerns) is compared to a worm and fails to gain the intended fruit (phala).
Purāṇic teaching often proceeds through exemplary stories; the verse signals a transition into a traditional illustrative narrative meant to convey the moral point.
The listeners are urged to hear attentively and discern the difference between superficial enjoyment and actions/knowledge that yield lasting spiritual results.