Shloka 69
Description of the Torments within the Cycle of Rebirth: Hymn to Yama and the Introduction to Citragupta’s Administration
पानीयमथ काष्ठानि यद्यन्नं सुखमागतम् ॥ तेन वध्याः भवन्तो वै यातनाभिरनेकशः
pānīyam atha kāṣṭhāni yady annaṃ sukham āgatam || tena vadhyā bhavanto vai yātanābhir anekaśaḥ
If water, firewood, or food came to you without hardship, then for that failure you indeed become liable to punishment through many torments.
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"If basic necessities (water, firewood, food) come easily to you, failing to share them is a punishable moral fault.","karmic_consequence":"Withholding essentials generates severe suffering—depicted as many torments—matching the harm caused by denying life-supporting resources."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma and social duty","core_concept":"Neglect of immediate, low-cost compassion (sharing essentials) is a high-weight karmic offense because it obstructs others’ survival and dignity.","practical_application":"Practice daily micro-dāna: offer water, food, fuel/help to travelers, guests, and the needy; treat ‘easy availability’ as a call to responsibility."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Social Welfare"]
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Type: None
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 198 (sequence on adāna leading to yātanā)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A stark moral tableau: a person with accessible water, firewood, and food refuses to give; in the next beat, they face multiple torments as karmic retribution.","item_prompts":["water pot (kalaśa)","bundle of firewood","plate of food","refusal gesture (turned face/closed door)","shadowy tormentors or flames as consequence imagery","Varāha as moral judge-narrator"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: symbolic split-scene—left: refusal at doorway; right: stylized yātanā with dark reds; Varāha presiding with luminous calm.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: dramatic contrast with gold-highlighted vessels of water/food; punitive scene rendered with ornate borders; Varāha central with gold aura.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: nuanced expressions of need and refusal; consequence scene suggested rather than graphic; emphasis on moral gravity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative miniature with sequential panels; delicate depiction of traveler/guest; consequence shown as allegorical demons in a stylized landscape."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"grave, warning","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"deep, emphatic, judicial"}
FAQs
It documents a moral economy where access to basic resources is tied to duties of sharing and social responsibility, reflecting broader South Asian ethical discourse.
No location is specified; the verse addresses general conduct concerning essential goods.
One should respond responsibly to the possession of basic necessities—water, food, fuel—since neglect of such duties is framed as ethically consequential.