Shloka 14
Determination of the Householder’s Dharma
Dāna: Types, Recipients, Timing, and Fruits
गोचर्ममात्रामपि वा यो भूमिं संप्रयच्छति । ब्राह्मणाय दरिद्राय सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते
gocarmamātrāmapi vā yo bhūmiṃ saṃprayacchati | brāhmaṇāya daridrāya sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate
Aun quien entrega tierra aunque sea del tamaño de una piel de vaca a un brāhmaṇa pobre, queda liberado de todos los pecados.
Not specified in the provided excerpt (context needed from surrounding verses).
Concept: Even a small land donation to a poor brāhmaṇa liberates one from all sins.
Application: Give proportionate to your means; prioritize recipients in genuine need and integrity; practice regular micro-charity (food, education support, rent/land assistance) as a discipline of purification.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A modest householder offers a small, clearly bounded patch of earth—no larger than a cowhide—to a visibly impoverished brāhmaṇa. The brāhmaṇa’s face softens with gratitude as dark, smoky symbols of sin lift away into clear sky, replaced by a calm, purifying light.","primary_figures":["poor brāhmaṇa recipient","humble donor (gṛhastha)","cow (symbolic measure reference)"],"setting":"Village edge with a tiny demarcated plot, simple huts, a cow resting nearby, and a small shrine in the background.","lighting_mood":"forest dappled","color_palette":["clay brown","soft white","leaf green","smoke gray","sunlit amber"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: intimate charity scene—donor presenting a small marked plot of land to a poor brāhmaṇa; a cow nearby referencing go-carma measure; gold leaf used to depict purifying radiance rising as sins dissolve; rich reds/greens, ornate border, traditional iconographic calmness.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: tender village vignette with delicate lines—small land patch outlined, poor brāhmaṇa in simple cloth, donor offering soil; a gentle cow; airy sky where dark wisps fade; cool, lyrical palette and refined expressions.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines—central figures of donor and poor brāhmaṇa, stylized cow, symbolic dark pāpa-clouds lifting upward; natural pigments with strong reds/yellows/greens and temple-wall compositional symmetry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional compassion tableau framed by lotus vines; donor and poor brāhmaṇa centered, cow motif at the side; intricate floral borders, deep blues and gold accents; symbolic purification shown as swirling patterns turning from dark to luminous."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft wind","cow bell (distant)","low temple bell","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: gocarmamātrāmapi = go-carma-mātrām + api; compounds: go-carma-mātrā, sarva-pāpa.
FAQs
The verse praises bhūmi-dāna (donation of land), emphasizing that even a very small gift—measured as a cowhide’s area—given to a poor brāhmaṇa brings strong purificatory merit.
It highlights compassionate giving to one in need; the merit is tied not only to the item donated (land) but also to the recipient’s condition (poverty) and the donor’s intent.
Even modest generosity, when sincerely offered to a worthy and needy recipient, is spiritually transformative—encouraging accessible charity rather than only grand donations.