Shloka 50
Prohibitions and Rules of Right Conduct (Ācāra): Theft, Speech, Purity, Residence, and Social Boundaries
न लंघयेच्च मतिमान्नाधितिष्ठेत्कदाचन । न शूद्राय मतिं दद्यात्कृसरं पायसं दधि
na laṃghayecca matimānnādhitiṣṭhetkadācana | na śūdrāya matiṃ dadyātkṛsaraṃ pāyasaṃ dadhi
Ein Weiser soll die rechte Lebensführung nicht überschreiten und niemals hochmütig handeln. Er soll einem Śūdra keinen Rat erteilen und ihm weder kṛsara noch pāyasa (süßen Reis) noch dadhi (Quark/geronnene Milch) geben.
Unspecified (general dharma-instruction within Svarga-khaṇḍa narrative context)
Concept: Maintain proper conduct and humility; regulate the transmission of counsel and certain ritual foods according to prescribed social codes.
Application: Read as a historical dharma-code: cultivate humility and avoid arrogance; in modern application, preserve the ethical core (non-arrogance, careful speech) while critically contextualizing exclusionary prescriptions as time-bound smṛti norms.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Inside a lamp-lit courtyard, a learned elder sits on a low wooden seat, palm-leaf manuscript beside him, gesturing calmly as he instructs a young student in humility. In the background, a kitchen hearth glows; bowls of kṛsara, pāyasa, and curd are covered with cloth, symbolizing regulated giving and ritual food boundaries.","primary_figures":["a learned brāhmaṇa elder","a young student (śiṣya)","household attendants (background silhouettes)"],"setting":"traditional courtyard with tulasi-vṛndāvana, manuscript stand, and a small shrine niche","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["lamp-gold","deep maroon","leafy green","smoke gray","ivory"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a dignified elder-teacher seated near a tulasi-vṛndāvana and a small Viṣṇu shrine, instructing a student with a raised hand of restraint; covered bowls of ritual foods near a glowing hearth; heavy gold leaf on shrine arch, rich reds/greens, ornate jewelry minimal but stylized, traditional South Indian domestic sacred space.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate courtyard lesson with delicate lines; teacher and student in calm dialogue, manuscript and covered food bowls rendered with fine detail; cool shadows, soft lamp glow, refined faces, floral borders and a distant temple roofline.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, flat pigments; teacher’s gesture of ‘do not transgress’ emphasized, tulasi-vṛndāvana central as a green-red motif; warm lamp aura, stylized hearth flames, symmetrical composition like a temple wall panel.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: courtyard framed by ornate floral borders; central teacher-student pair, tulasi pot and small Viṣṇu icon; patterned textiles, deep blues and gold accents, peacocks perched on parapet, symbolic covered offerings arranged geometrically."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"authoritative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["temple bells (soft)","crackling hearth","low drone (tanpura)","courtyard birds","brief pauses for emphasis"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: laṃghayet+ca → laṃghayecca; matimān+na → matimānna; na+adhitiṣṭhet+kadācana → nādhitiṣṭhetkadācana; dadyāt+kṛsaram → dadyātkṛsaram.
FAQs
It stresses self-restraint: a wise person should not overstep righteous boundaries and should avoid arrogance or domineering behavior.
Yes. The verse includes a social restriction involving the term “Śūdra,” reflecting a prescriptive norm found in some Dharma-style passages; modern readers often study such lines as historical-textual evidence rather than universal ethics.
The verse names kṛsara (a rice-and-pulse preparation), pāyasa (sweet milk-rice), and dadhi (curd), treating them as specific items involved in the stated injunction.