Shloka 40
Merit of Causeways and Crossings, Temple Construction Rewards, and the Rudrākṣa Mahātmya
तस्यैकविंशपुरुषाः पच्यंते रौरवेषु च । गोचारघ्नं ग्रामगोपः शक्तो ज्ञात्वा तु दण्डयेत्
tasyaikaviṃśapuruṣāḥ pacyaṃte rauraveṣu ca | gocāraghnaṃ grāmagopaḥ śakto jñātvā tu daṇḍayet
Seinetwegen werden einundzwanzig Männer in den Raurava-Höllen gekocht. Und der Dorfhirte, Hüter des Viehs, soll, wenn er dazu fähig ist und von einem erfährt, der Rinder tötet oder Weideland zerstört, ihn bestrafen.
Unspecified (narrative injunction within the Adhyaya; speaker not identifiable from the single verse alone)
Concept: Harming cows or destroying their grazing grounds incurs severe karmic retribution affecting one’s lineage; dharma requires enforceable protection by community guardians.
Application: Create and enforce community rules protecting animals and commons; report cruelty; support lawful penalties for ecological/animal harm; recognize intergenerational impact of wrongdoing.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A stark vision of Raurava opens beneath a torn earth: iron-red caverns, blazing winds, and anguished cries as twenty-one figures suffer the consequence of pasture-destruction. In the foreground, a vigilant village gopa stands with staff raised, confronting a wrongdoer near a ruined grazing fence—justice on earth preventing hell beyond.","primary_figures":["village cowherd-guardian (grāma-gopa)","wrongdoer (gochāra-ghna)","twenty-one suffering figures (symbolic ancestors/descendants)","Yama’s attendants (subtle, in the hell-vision)"],"setting":"split-scene: village pasture with broken boundary stones; beneath/behind it a revealed naraka cavern (Raurava)","lighting_mood":"thunderous gloom","color_palette":["iron red","charcoal black","sulfur yellow","ashen gray","blood orange"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dramatic moral tableau with a village cowherd enforcing dharma in the upper register and a stylized Raurava hell vision below, gold leaf used sparingly to outline the staff and dharma symbols, intense reds and blacks, ornate border with protective motifs, expressive faces and clear narrative separation bands.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: narrative diptych—top: pastoral village scene with the gopa confronting the offender; bottom: compact hell vignette with swirling red clouds and anguished figures, delicate linework despite grim theme, muted palette with sharp vermilion accents, refined composition emphasizing moral causality.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and high-contrast pigments, the gopa rendered heroically with commanding posture, hell scene stylized with patterned flames and rhythmic figures, dominant reds/yellows/blacks, temple-wall storytelling panels with decorative borders.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic rather than graphic—dark indigo field with fiery lotus-flame motifs representing Raurava, the gopa as protector framed by ornate floral borders, cows depicted as sacred silhouettes, gold highlights and intricate patterning to convey cosmic consequence without gore."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["conch shell blast","low drum (mridanga)","distant thunder","sharp staff strike","brief ominous silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तस्यैकविंशपुरुषाः = तस्य एकविंश-पुरुषाः; पच्यंते = पच्यन्ते (अनुस्वार-लेखनभेद); गोचारघ्नम् = गो-चार-घ्नम्; ग्रामगोपः = ग्राम-गोपः.
FAQs
It teaches that harming cattle or destroying grazing grounds is a grave sin with severe post-mortem consequences, and that local authorities responsible for cattle should punish such offenders when able.
Raurava refers to a hell realm (naraka) described in Purāṇic literature where sinners undergo intense torment; here it is used to stress the severity of the offense.
It implies a community-based duty of enforcement: the village cattle-guardian (or local protector) should act against those who harm cattle or pasture, provided he has the capacity to do so.