Shloka 87
Prohibitions and Rules of Right Conduct (Ācāra): Theft, Speech, Purity, Residence, and Social Boundaries
मुखेनाग्निं समिंधीत मुखादग्निरजायत । परस्त्रियं न भाषेत नायाज्यं याजयेद्बुधः
mukhenāgniṃ samiṃdhīta mukhādagnirajāyata | parastriyaṃ na bhāṣeta nāyājyaṃ yājayedbudhaḥ
Con su boca debe encender el fuego sagrado, pues del rostro nació el fuego. El sabio no debe conversar con la esposa de otro, ni oficiar sacrificio para quien no es digno de ser ofrecido en sacrificio.
Unspecified (narrative injunction within Svarga-khaṇḍa; exact speaker not provided in the input)
Concept: Agni is linked to mouth/speech—therefore speech must be pure; maintain strict ethical boundaries with others’ spouses and uphold sacrificial propriety by refusing to officiate for the unfit.
Application: Guard speech and interactions to avoid impropriety; maintain professional ethics—do not lend religious/ethical legitimacy to harmful or exploitative patrons; keep the mouth ‘consecrated’ through truthful, restrained words and mantra.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A priest sits before a sacred fire, lips softly shaping mantras as the flame rises like a golden tongue—visually linking mouth and agni. Behind him, a translucent moral tableau shows a respectful boundary: the priest turns away from a tempting conversation at a doorway, and a shadowy figure marked ‘ayājya’ is refused entry to the ritual space, emphasizing integrity.","primary_figures":["Vedic priest/brāhmaṇa","person seeking improper conversation (another’s wife, depicted symbolically)","unfit patron (ayājya)","Agni (personified within flame, optional)"],"setting":"Yajña-śālā with fire altar, mantra scroll/palm-leaf, and a threshold separating sacred space from worldly temptation","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["flame gold","smoke gray","crimson vermilion","midnight blue","ivory white"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central yajña-kuṇḍa with towering flame rendered in gold leaf, priest chanting with a radiant mouth-to-flame visual motif, ornate pillars and ritual vessels, side vignette of the priest respectfully averting gaze from an improper approach, and another vignette refusing an ayājya patron—rich reds/greens, embossed gold borders, jewel-like detailing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined priest by a small fire altar, delicate depiction of mantra recitation, flame shaped like a golden tongue, subtle narrative split-scene showing ethical refusal and boundary-keeping, cool blues with warm firelight, lyrical restraint in expressions.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized agni with anthropomorphic suggestion, priest in iconic posture of japa/recitation, symbolic figures at the edge of the frame representing temptation and unfit patron, strong reds/yellows/greens with temple-wall symmetry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central sacred fire framed by lotus borders, conch and bells, Vaishnava symbols (tilaka, śālagrāma on a small pedestal) subtly included to link yajña to Viṣṇu, narrative side panels of ethical restraint, deep indigo ground with gold and vermilion highlights, intricate floral motifs."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["fire crackle","mantra cadence","conch shell (brief)","temple bell strike","hushed assembly"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: मुखेन+अग्निम् → मुखेनाग्निम्; मुखात्+अग्निः → मुखादग्निः; अग्निः+अजायत → अग्निरजायत; न+अयाज्यम् → नायाज्यम्; याजयेत्+बुधः → याजयेद्बुधः.
FAQs
It teaches restraint and purity of conduct: avoid improper intimacy (such as conversing with another man’s wife in a compromising way) and maintain ritual integrity by not officiating sacrifices for an unqualified patron.
It uses a cosmogonic/ritual rationale to support disciplined speech and ritual practice: the mouth is treated as sacred, linked with Agni, so speech and ritual utterance must be controlled and pure.
Ayājya refers to a person considered unfit as a sacrificial patron (due to disqualification by conduct, status, or rule in a given tradition). The verse advises a wise officiant not to perform rites on behalf of such a person.