Shloka 16
The Duties and Conduct of the Graduate (Snātaka) and the Householder
दैवतान्यभिगच्छेत कुर्य्याद्भार्य्याभिपोषणम् । न धर्मं ख्यापयेद्विद्वान्न पापं गूहयेदपि
daivatānyabhigaccheta kuryyādbhāryyābhipoṣaṇam | na dharmaṃ khyāpayedvidvānna pāpaṃ gūhayedapi
Man soll zu den Gottheiten hingehen und sie verehren und die Ehefrau rechtmäßig versorgen. Der Weise soll weder die eigene Tugend ausposaunen noch die Sünde verbergen.
Unspecified (context-dependent within Svarga-khaṇḍa 54)
Concept: Honor the devas through proper approach/worship, sustain one’s spouse, practice humility about one’s merit, and do not hide wrongdoing.
Application: Maintain family obligations with care; keep worship regular; avoid virtue-signaling; practice confession/accountability—acknowledge faults, make amends, and correct behavior rather than concealing it.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Inside a lamp-lit home shrine, a couple offers flowers and water to the devas with quiet dignity; the husband then brings food and cloth to his wife as an act of dharmic care. In the background, a small mirror motif suggests self-examination—virtue kept private, faults faced openly under the gaze of conscience and the divine.","primary_figures":["householder","wife","household deities (symbolic)","Vishnu (as unseen witness or small icon)"],"setting":"interior domestic shrine room with brass lamps, offering trays, and a modest household space","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["warm amber","vermilion","brass gold","coconut brown","peacock blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: richly ornamented home shrine with brass lamps and gold leaf, a couple performing pūjā, the husband offering a respectful gift to his wife; a small Vishnu icon with radiant halo, heavy gold embellishment, jewel-like detailing on vessels and textiles, deep reds and greens.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate indoor scene with delicate lines, soft lamplight, the couple in gentle profile; refined facial features, muted reds and browns, small altar with flowers, subtle moral symbolism via a mirror or open ledger of self-accounting.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized eyes; couple near a shrine niche, offerings arranged symmetrically; warm reds/yellows/greens, patterned borders, a small blue Vishnu figure as the spiritual center.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: domestic devotion framed by ornate floral borders; altar with lotus motifs, peacocks near the threshold, deep indigo background with gold highlights; emphasis on devotional order and household harmony."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["soft bell strokes","oil-lamp crackle","low mantra hum","courtyard birds"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: daivatāni + abhigacchet → daivatānyabhigacchet; kuryāt + bhāryā-abhipoṣaṇam → kuryyādbhāryyābhipoṣaṇam; khyāpayet + vidvān + na → khyāpayedvidvānna; gūhayet + api → gūhayedapi
FAQs
It advises humility: do not advertise one’s own righteous deeds, since self-praise can feed ego and distort dharma.
It highlights gṛhastha-dharma (householder duty): responsible care and maintenance of one’s spouse is presented as a core ethical obligation.
It implies accountability—acknowledging wrongdoing, seeking correction or atonement (prāyaścitta), and not hiding harmful actions that should be addressed.