Shloka 41
The Account of Women
Householder Ethics, Fault, Merit, and Govinda-Nāma as Purification
उच्छिष्टनरकं भुक्त्वा मानुषे विधवा भवेत् । यः पुनश्चांत्यजां गच्छेन्म्लेछां वा पुल्कसां नरः
ucchiṣṭanarakaṃ bhuktvā mānuṣe vidhavā bhavet | yaḥ punaścāṃtyajāṃ gacchenmlechāṃ vā pulkasāṃ naraḥ
Nachdem sie die Hölle namens Ucchiṣṭa erlitten hat, wird sie unter den Menschen als Witwe wiedergeboren. Ebenso zieht jeder Mann, der erneut zu einer Frau außerhalb der Kaste, oder zu einer Mleccha-Frau, oder zu Frauen der Pulkaśas geht, schweres Unheil und großes Verdienstminderes auf sich.
Narrator/teacher voice within the Purāṇic discourse (exact dialogue pair not specified from the single verse excerpt).
Concept: Sexual/relational transgressions and boundary-violations (especially repeated) lead to severe karmic suffering and socially painful rebirth outcomes.
Application: Practice restraint (brahmacarya/niyama), honor consent and dharmic boundaries, avoid exploitative relationships; seek atonement through confession, corrective conduct, and sustained sādhana.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A grim allegory of impurity: a dark underworld court labeled ‘Ucchiṣṭa’ in symbolic script, where a veiled widow figure stands in sorrowful silence, her shadow stretching into scenes of boundary-breaking desire. The composition contrasts polluted, broken vessels with a distant, untouched lamp of dharma.","primary_figures":["widow figure (symbolic rebirth)","shadowy Yama-dūtas (optional)","symbolic transgressor (male silhouette)"],"setting":"underworld threshold blending into an earthly street/household scene; ritual vessels and remnants symbolizing ucchiṣṭa","lighting_mood":"lamp-lit with oppressive shadows","color_palette":["soot black","mud brown","dull ochre","deep maroon","faint lamp-gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: widow figure in subdued attire at the edge of a stylized naraka gate, with gold-leaf used for the single dharma-lamp and for ornamental borders; rich reds and greens framing a morally stark scene, traditional iconographic symmetry with symbolic vessels of impurity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: quiet tragedy—widow seated near a dim lamp, with a faint underworld gate in the background; cool muted palette, delicate facial sorrow, minimalism emphasizing karuṇa beneath the warning.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines of naraka gate and widow figure, stylized flames and dark clouds; strong pigment blocks, temple-wall narrative clarity, expressive eyes conveying suffering and admonition.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: moral allegory—central lamp of dharma surrounded by a border of broken pots and dark floral motifs; deep indigo and maroon with gold detailing, decorative yet cautionary symbolism."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["single bell tolls","low drone","wind through empty corridor","silence after key words like naraka"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पुनश्चांत्यजां = पुनः + च + अन्त्यजाम्; गच्छेन्म्लेछां = गच्छेत् + म्लेच्छाम् (त् + म् → न्म्)
FAQs
Ucchiṣṭa-naraka is presented as a specific hell (naraka) where one undergoes suffering as a karmic consequence; the verse uses it to link immoral conduct with post-mortem retribution and an adverse rebirth.
Yes. It frames ethical conduct as causally connected to results: wrongdoing leads to suffering (naraka) and also shapes the conditions of one’s next human birth.
The verse warns against sexual/moral misconduct as defined in its traditional social-religious framework, emphasizing that actions have consequences both after death and in future rebirths.