Shloka 30
The Marks of Merit and the Destinies of Beings
Divine vs Demonic Traits
न पश्यंति सुखं स्त्रीणां विशंति कानने द्रुतं । विघसोच्छिष्टपूतीनां भक्षणेभिरता भुवि
na paśyaṃti sukhaṃ strīṇāṃ viśaṃti kānane drutaṃ | vighasocchiṣṭapūtīnāṃ bhakṣaṇebhiratā bhuvi
Bei Frauen finden sie kein Glück; eilends gehen sie in den Wald. Auf Erden sind sie darauf versessen, Altes, Reste und Unreines, Übelriechendes zu verzehren.
Unspecified (context-dependent within Adhyaya 76; likely a narrator within the Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue frame common to the Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa)
Concept: A degraded disposition leads to alienation from wholesome household life and attraction to impure sustenance; conduct shapes one’s habitat and cravings.
Application: Choose sāttvika food and habits; if practicing renunciation, pair it with devotion and cleanliness rather than escapism or self-neglect.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: forest
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A group of hollow-eyed wanderers slips quickly into a dark forest, avoiding the village edge where ordinary life continues. On the forest floor they crouch over stale, discarded food near a broken pot, while a faint, unsettling aura suggests tamas rather than holy tapas.","primary_figures":["degraded wanderers (preta-like humans)","optional: village householders in the distance","optional: a witnessing sage at the boundary"],"setting":"forest edge (kānana) with a visible boundary between village light and forest gloom","lighting_mood":"twilight with uneasy shadows","color_palette":["deep green-black","mud brown","dull violet","ashen white","faded saffron"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: contrasting halves—bright village on one side, dark forest on the other; figures moving into the forest, gold leaf used only for the distant village lamps to emphasize loss of sattva; ornate border with moral symbolism.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: lyrical forest edge with subtle menace; delicate rendering of discarded food and broken pot; cool dusk palette, expressive faces showing restlessness and dissatisfaction.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold silhouettes entering the forest, stylized foliage, dramatic eye shapes; earthy pigments with dark greens and reds, didactic panel feel warning against tamasic habits.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: allegorical—border of lotus motifs wilting into dark leaves; central scene of forest withdrawal; deep indigo background with muted gold outlines, emphasizing moral contrast rather than realism."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"grave","sound_elements":["crickets at dusk","rustling undergrowth","distant village bell fading","ominous wind through trees"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पश्यन्ति (पश्यंति इति पाठभेदः); विघस + उच्छिष्ट + पूतीनाम् → विघसोच्छिष्टपूतीनाम् (समास/द्वन्द्व); भक्षणेभिः + रताः → भक्षणेभिरताः (सन्धिः: ः + र → र्)
FAQs
It depicts an austere, renunciant mode of living—turning away from sensual enjoyment and choosing forest-dwelling with minimal, even unpleasant, sustenance.
The verse is descriptive and value-laden: it emphasizes severe detachment from pleasure and a harsh diet, typically associated with extreme asceticism; whether it is praise or critique depends on the surrounding passage.
It highlights the theme of vairāgya (dispassion): reducing dependence on sensual gratification and cultivating restraint, even when living conditions are difficult.