Shloka 23

The Greatness of the Kāliṇdī (Yamunā): Merit of Bathing, Charity, and Faith

Devanagari script

निष्ठुरं दुर्धरं दुष्टं दोषत्रयविदूषितम् । अशुचितापि दुर्गंधि तापत्रयविमोहितम्

Transliteration

niṣṭhuraṃ durdharaṃ duṣṭaṃ doṣatrayavidūṣitam | aśucitāpi durgaṃdhi tāpatrayavimohitam

Translation

Es cruel, difícil de refrenar y perverso, manchado por los tres doṣa (faltas). Aunque impuro, exhala hedor y queda extraviado por las tres aflicciones (tāpa-traya).

Word by Word

• निष्ठुरम्: harsh, pitiless
• निष्ठुरम्: विशेषण (Adjectival modifier) (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निष्ठुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण-प्रयोग

• दुर्धरम्: hard to bear/endure
• दुर्धरम्: विशेषण (Adjectival modifier) (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्धर (प्रातिपदिक; दुर् + धर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण-प्रयोग

• दुष्टम्: wicked, corrupt
• दुष्टम्: विशेषण (Adjectival modifier) (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुष्ट (प्रातिपदिक; from √दुष्/दुष्-भाव, lexicalized)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण-प्रयोग

• दोष-त्रय-विदूषितम्: tainted by the three doṣas
• दोष-त्रय-विदूषितम्: विशेषण (Adjectival modifier) (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दोषत्रयविदूषित (प्रातिपदिक; दोष + त्रय + विदूषित [क्त from √दूष्])
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) from धातु √दूष् (to taint), 'tainted by the three दोष-s'

• अशुचिता: impurity
• अशुचिता: हेतु/भाव (Cause/State) (भाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशुचिता (प्रातिपदिक; a-शुचि + ता)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); भाववाचक-नाम (abstract noun)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: सम्बन्ध (Particle relation) (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-कार (also/even)

• दुर्गन्धि: foul-smelling
• दुर्गन्धि: विशेषण (Adjectival modifier) (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्गन्धि (प्रातिपदिक; दुर् + गन्धि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); इ-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण (ending in -i), विशेषण-प्रयोग

• ताप-त्रय-विमोहितम्: bewildered by the three sufferings
• ताप-त्रय-विमोहितम्: विशेषण (Adjectival modifier) (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तापत्रयविमोहित (प्रातिपदिक; ताप + त्रय + विमोहित [क्त from √मुह् with vi-])
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त from धातु √मुह् (to be deluded) with उपसर्ग vi-, 'deluded by the three afflictions'

Speaker

Unspecified (context needed from surrounding verses to attribute confidently, often within a Purāṇic dialogue frame).

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The embodied condition is hard to restrain, impure, and deluded by the threefold miseries; therefore one should seek a higher shelter and discipline.

Application: Adopt a simple restraint practice: reduce one indulgence, add one act of devotion daily (nāma-japa, offering water/flower to Viṣṇu), and observe how the mind becomes more governable.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A restless, shadowed figure struggles to hold three writhing cords labeled as the ‘three doṣas,’ while above swirl three storm-clouds symbolizing tāpa-traya. A calm Viṣṇu presence—chakra and conch glowing—casts a stabilizing light that quiets the cords and clears the clouds, suggesting bhakti as the true restraint.","primary_figures":["Central struggling seeker","Allegorical doṣa-traya as three cords/serpents","Allegorical tāpa-traya as three storm-clouds","Viṣṇu (or his symbols: chakra, shankha) as pacifying radiance"],"setting":"Symbolic inner landscape: a darkened courtyard of the mind with a threshold leading into a bright temple sanctum.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["midnight blue","storm gray","acid green (subtle)","saffron gold","pearl white"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Viṣṇu enthroned in a small sanctum with heavy gold leaf halo; foreground seeker bound by three stylized serpentine cords (doṣa-traya) and three cloud emblems (tāpa-traya) above; gold leaf used to ‘burn away’ the clouds, rich reds/greens, ornate borders, gem-like highlights.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: psychological allegory—seeker in a dim courtyard, three translucent clouds overhead, three cords at the feet; a distant temple doorway emits soft light with Viṣṇu’s symbols; cool blues and grays with warm saffron glow, delicate brushwork, refined facial emotion shifting from distress to calm.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: iconic composition with bold outlines—Viṣṇu aura at top, seeker below, three clouds and three serpents arranged symmetrically; strong red/yellow/green palette, temple-wall ornamentation, lotus-and-conch border motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central medallion of Viṣṇu’s chakra-shankha radiance; surrounding ring shows three clouds dissolving into lotus petals and three serpents transforming into garlands; intricate floral borders, deep blues with gold highlights, devotional symmetry."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["tanpura drone","soft conch (single)","temple bells (faint)","silence between lines"]}

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: अशुचितापि = अशुचिता + अपि; दोषत्रयविदूषितम् = दोष + त्रय + विदूषितम्; तापत्रयविमोहितम् = ताप + त्रय + विमोहितम्.

FAQs

What is meant by tāpa-traya (the threefold afflictions) in this verse?

Tāpa-traya is the classic triad of suffering: ādhyātmika (internal—body/mind), ādhibhautika (external—other beings/environment), and ādhidaivika (cosmic/divine forces). The verse says the subject is bewildered by these pressures.

What does doṣa-traya refer to here—moral faults or the Ayurvedic humors?

Doṣa-traya can denote the Ayurvedic triad (vāta, pitta, kapha) or a contextual triad of defects. Without adjacent verses, the safest reading is “a triad of faults,” while noting the common Ayurvedic resonance.

What ethical lesson does the verse convey?

It portrays a condition (often read as an untrained mind or corrupt disposition) as cruel, uncontrolled, impure, and deluded—implying that restraint, purification, and clarity are necessary to overcome suffering and moral degeneration.