Shloka 20
Prohibitions and Rules of Right Conduct (Ācāra): Theft, Speech, Purity, Residence, and Social Boundaries
विहिताचारहीनेषु क्षिप्रं नश्यति वै कुलम् । अधार्मिकैर्वृते ग्रामे न व्याधिबहुले वसेत्
vihitācārahīneṣu kṣipraṃ naśyati vai kulam | adhārmikairvṛte grāme na vyādhibahule vaset
En las familias donde faltan las normas prescritas de conducta, el linaje perece pronto. No debe uno vivir en una aldea dominada por los injustos, ni en un lugar abundante en enfermedades.
Unspecified (contextual narrator/teacher voice within Svarga-khaṇḍa discourse)
Concept: Absence of prescribed conduct destroys lineage; avoid environments dominated by adharma or disease, as they erode body, mind, and merit.
Application: Choose community and daily routines that reinforce integrity; prioritize clean water, public health, and ethical neighbors; cultivate household discipline (ācāra) so spiritual practices remain steady.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: city
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A traveler-householder pauses at a crossroads: one road leads to a bright, orderly village with a small Viṣṇu shrine and clean wells; the other to a shadowed settlement with quarrelsome crowds and stagnant water. A sage’s warning is visualized as a protective aura around the dhārmic path, while dark haze hangs over the diseased quarter.","primary_figures":["a dvija traveler/householder","a guiding sage (ṛṣi)","villagers (dhārmic and adhārmic groups)"],"setting":"crossroads outside two contrasting villages, with a small roadside shrine and a distant cremation-ground silhouette on the darker side","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["warm gold","clean white","earth brown","indigo shadow","turmeric yellow"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: split-composition crossroads—left side a radiant village with Viṣṇu shrine, right side a dim diseased settlement; gold leaf highlights on shrine and sage’s halo, rich reds/greens, ornate borders, symbolic purity vessels and lamps.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: lyrical landscape with two villages in the distance, delicate figures at a crossroads, subtle atmospheric perspective showing clean flowing stream vs stagnant pond, cool greens and blues with gentle sunrise wash.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized villages as icon-like panels, sage pointing to the dhārmic route, dramatic contrast of bright yellows/reds vs dark greens/blacks, temple-wall narrative clarity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: narrative textile with floral borders; central crossroads medallion, left medallions show cleanliness and kīrtana near a shrine, right medallions show discord and illness; deep blue ground with gold and lotus motifs."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["footsteps on dust path","distant temple bell","crows in the darker village","flowing water on the brighter side"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: विहिताचारहीनेषु = विहित-आचार-हीनेषु; अधार्मिकैर्वृते = अधार्मिकैः वृते; व्याधिबहुले = व्याधि-बहुले.
FAQs
It teaches that adherence to prescribed righteous conduct sustains a family and that one should avoid environments dominated by unrighteousness and widespread illness.
Because sustained dharmic practice (ācāra) is presented as the foundation for stability, harmony, and continuity; when conduct collapses, the family’s integrity and future quickly deteriorate.
As practical dharma: preserving health supports duty, worship, and livelihood; therefore, one should choose a residence that does not obstruct righteous living through constant illness.