Shloka 21
Supremacy of Hari-Bhakti in Kali-yuga; Warnings on Sensual Attachment; Praise of Brāhmaṇas, Purāṇa-Listening, and Gaṅgā
नारीणां किल किं नाम सौंदर्य्यं परिचक्षते । भूषणानां च वस्त्राणां चाकचक्यं तदुच्यते
nārīṇāṃ kila kiṃ nāma sauṃdaryyaṃ paricakṣate | bhūṣaṇānāṃ ca vastrāṇāṃ cākacakyaṃ taducyate
Was nennt man denn wahrlich die Schönheit einer Frau? Man erklärt: Es ist das glitzernde Schaustellen von Schmuck und Gewändern.
Unspecified (narrative voice not provided in the input excerpt)
Concept: What society labels ‘beauty’ is often mere external display—ornaments and garments—hinting at the need to seek inner worth.
Application: Practice mindful seeing: appreciate aesthetics without attachment; invest more in character, seva, and sattvic habits than in display.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: hasya
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A palace corridor where a woman stands before a polished bronze mirror, her silhouette shimmering with jewelry and layered textiles, while a sage in the background watches with calm, instructive detachment. The scene subtly contrasts glittering surfaces with a quiet, unadorned lamp and prayer beads resting nearby.","primary_figures":["woman adorned with ornaments","didactic sage (unnamed)","attendant (optional)"],"setting":"Royal interior with carved pillars, textile drapes, mirror, jewelry casket; a small corner shrine implied by a lamp and conch.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["ivory","ruby red","antique gold","peacock teal","smoky umber"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: richly dressed woman with heavy gold ornaments and silk garments, rendered with gold-leaf highlights; a calm sage at the side holding palm-leaf manuscript; ornate palace archways in deep reds and greens, embossed jewelry and halo-like motifs around the lamp of discernment.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate indoor scene with delicate textiles, restrained facial expressions; cool teal shadows, soft gold accents on ornaments; sage seated near a small shrine lamp, emphasizing quiet moral commentary.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized figure with bold outlines and patterned jewelry; warm red-yellow-green palette; sage’s composed gaze and symbolic lamp foregrounded, temple-wall symmetry even within a palace setting.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: decorative border of lotus and floral motifs framing a central vignette—glittering ornaments contrasted with a small Vaishnava shrine lamp; deep blue background with gold detailing, peacocks in the border as symbols of beauty and vanity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["anklet bells (faint)","silk rustle","temple bell (distant)","soft tanpura drone","quiet footsteps"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: चाकचक्यं → च + आकचकीयम् (a + a = ā). तदुच्यते → तत् + उच्यते (sandhi: d + u).
FAQs
It frames beauty as an externally perceived quality—specifically the dazzling appearance created by ornaments and clothing.
In this line, beauty is explicitly described in terms of outward adornment; it does not address inner virtues here, though other Purāṇic passages often do.
It can prompt reflection on the difference between appearance-based attraction and deeper qualities, encouraging discernment about what one values as “beauty.”