Shloka 52
The Glory of Dhātrī (Āmalakī) and Tulasī: Ekādaśī Observance and Protection from Preta States
अन्यैरपि च दुःखैर्ये पीडिताः कूटसाक्षिणः । वधबंधप्रमीताश्च प्रेतास्ते निरयं गताः
anyairapi ca duḥkhairye pīḍitāḥ kūṭasākṣiṇaḥ | vadhabaṃdhapramītāśca pretāste nirayaṃ gatāḥ
Jene falschen Zeugen, die auch von anderem Leid bedrängt sind—die durch Hinrichtung oder Gefangenschaft umkamen—jene Seelen, als Pretas, sind zur Hölle gegangen.
Unspecified (context-dependent narrator within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa Adhyaya 60)
Concept: False witnessing (kūṭa-sākṣya) is a grave adharma that leads to preta-state and descent to hell.
Application: Refuse to lie in legal/social testimony; practice truthful speech even under pressure; repair harm through confession, restitution, and devotional discipline.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A shadowed court scene shows a trembling false witness swearing deceitfully, while unseen karmic forces coil around his words like black smoke. The scene dissolves into a terrifying naraka vista: iron gates, ash-laden winds, and a preta-form drifting toward punitive realms, illustrating the inexorable pull of adharma.","primary_figures":["kūṭa-sākṣī (false witness)","Yama’s attendants (Yamadūtas)","preta-form of the sinner"],"setting":"From a human tribunal to a hellish landscape with iron gates and barren ground","lighting_mood":"dramatic","color_palette":["charcoal black","blood red","ashen white","rust brown","sickly green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: split-panel composition—upper panel a royal court with a false witness, lower panel naraka with Yamadūtas; heavy gold leaf for Yama’s insignia and borders, rich crimson and dark green contrasts, embossed flames and ironwork motifs, expressive faces showing fear and stern judgment.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: narrative transition scene with delicate yet ominous detailing—court architecture rendered finely, then a misty descent into dark ravines; cool grays and deep reds, subtle facial emotion, thin linework for smoke-like karma threads.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold depiction of Yamadūtas with stylized weapons, preta drifting, strong red/yellow/black palette, thick outlines; symmetrical hell-gate framing with ornamental borders.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: allegorical moral pichwai—central medallion of satya vs asatya, with the false witness in a dark vignette; ornate floral borders, lotuses turning dark at the corners, deep indigo background with gold highlights and narrative cartouches."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low drum pulse","conch shell (distant)","howling wind","heavy silence between lines"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दुःखैर्ये = duḥkhaiḥ + ye; वधबंधप्रमीताश्च = vadha-bandha-pramītāḥ + ca; प्रेतास्ते = pretāḥ + te.
FAQs
It condemns giving false testimony (kūṭasākṣya) and teaches that perjury leads to severe karmic consequences, described here as falling into naraka (hell) after death.
Kūṭasākṣiṇaḥ are “false witnesses”—those who knowingly give fabricated or deceitful testimony, typically in legal or social disputes.
It highlights that false witnesses may also face harsh worldly outcomes (such as punishment, bondage, or death), and still—after death—are said to go to naraka due to the moral gravity of their deceit.