Shloka 23
Prohibitions and Rules of Right Conduct (Ācāra): Theft, Speech, Purity, Residence, and Social Boundaries
पुण्या वा विश्रुता नद्यस्तत्र वा निवसेद्द्विजः । अर्द्धकोशं नदीकूलं वर्जयित्वा द्विजोत्तमः
puṇyā vā viśrutā nadyastatra vā nivaseddvijaḥ | arddhakośaṃ nadīkūlaṃ varjayitvā dvijottamaḥ
Un hombre dos veces nacido puede morar junto a ríos sagrados o renombrados; pero, oh el mejor de los dvijas, debe evitar habitar a menos de medio krośa de la ribera.
Unspecified (contextual narrator/instructor within the Svarga-khaṇḍa dialogue)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: river
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नद्यस्तत्र = नद्यः तत्र; निवसेद्द्विजः = निवसेत् द्विजः; अर्द्धकोशं = अर्द्ध-कोशम्; नदीकूलं = नदी-कूलम्; द्विजोत्तमः = द्विज-उत्तमः.
FAQs
It permits dwelling near holy or renowned rivers, but sets a cautionary boundary: one should not reside too close to the riverbank (within half a krośa), implying regulated proximity to sacred waters.
Traditional dharma texts often regulate residence near waterways for reasons of purity, safety (flooding/erosion), and maintaining disciplined conduct around tirtha zones; this verse encodes such a boundary in a measurable distance.
Sacred places are to be approached with reverence and restraint: one may benefit from proximity to holy geography, yet should observe limits that protect both personal discipline and the sanctity of the site.