Shloka 19
The Glory of the Divine Name and the Doctrine of Name-Offenses
Nāma-aparādha
एवं नारद शंकरेण कृपया मह्यं मुनीनां परं । प्रोक्तं नामसुखावहं भगवतो वर्ज्यं सदा यत्नतः । ये ज्ञात्वापि न वर्जयंति सहसा नाम्नोऽपराधान्दश । क्रुद्धा मातरमप्यभोजनपराः खिद्यंति ते बालवत्
evaṃ nārada śaṃkareṇa kṛpayā mahyaṃ munīnāṃ paraṃ | proktaṃ nāmasukhāvahaṃ bhagavato varjyaṃ sadā yatnataḥ | ye jñātvāpi na varjayaṃti sahasā nāmno'parādhāndaśa | kruddhā mātaramapyabhojanaparāḥ khidyaṃti te bālavat
Ainsi, ô Nārada, par compassion Śaṅkara m’a transmis l’enseignement suprême des sages : le Nom du Seigneur, dispensateur de félicité—et que les dix offenses au Nom doivent toujours être évitées avec soin. Ceux qui, tout en le sachant, ne renoncent pas aussitôt aux dix offenses au Nom souffrent comme des enfants : dans la colère, ils refusent même leur mère et s’entêtent à ne pas manger.
Narrative voice addressing Nārada (speaker not explicitly named in the given verse); Śaṅkara is cited as the teacher
Concept: The Lord’s Name is sukha-āvaha (bestower of joy), but its full effect requires vigilant avoidance of the ten nāmāparādhas; knowingly persisting in offense leads to self-inflicted suffering like a child refusing nourishment.
Application: Keep a personal ‘aparādha checklist’: avoid disrespect to devotees, guru, śāstra; chant with attention; when you notice a fault, correct quickly rather than rationalize it.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: mountain
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"On a snowy Himalayan ledge, Śaṅkara sits serene, ash-smeared and moon-crested, yet pointing toward a luminous garland of Viṣṇu-nāmas floating like golden beads in the air. Nārada listens with vīṇā in hand, while below them a small child turns away from a mother’s offered bowl—an allegory rendered as a faint vignette in the clouds.","primary_figures":["Shankara (Śiva)","Narada","a mother and child (allegorical vignette)","Vishnu (as nāma-light)"],"setting":"Kailāsa mountainscape with pine silhouettes, icy rocks, and a subtle celestial aura; cloud-vignette for the child analogy.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["snow white","ash gray","saffron gold","sky blue","rudraksha brown"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Śaṅkara seated on a jeweled tiger-skin dais with gold leaf halo, gesturing to a floating nāma-mālā of Viṣṇu in bright gold script; Nārada with ornate vīṇā and emerald-red garments; in a corner medallion, a mother offers food to a stubborn child; heavy gold embellishment, temple-arch framing, rich reds and greens.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: cool Himalayan palette, delicate faces; Śaṅkara teaching Nārada on a cliff with swirling clouds forming a soft cameo of the mother-child scene; refined brushwork, lyrical pine trees, subtle gold highlights on the nāma-garland.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, flat pigments; Śaṅkara with crescent moon and matted locks, Nārada attentive; a stylized nāma-disc in yellow-gold; the mother-child vignette simplified into iconic forms; temple-wall border motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central nāma-lotus with gold script petals; Śaṅkara and Nārada placed symmetrically as teachers of nāma; border filled with floral creepers and peacocks; a small narrative panel shows the child refusing food, emphasizing ‘don’t reject nourishment’ theme."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["tanpura drone","soft damaru accents","mountain wind hush","vīṇā glissando"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नाम्नोऽपराधान्दश = नाम्नः + अपराधान् + दश; मातरमप्यभोजनपराः = मातरम् + अपि + अभोजनपराः; खिद्यंति = खिद्यन्ति (अनुस्वार/लिप्यन्तर-भेद).
FAQs
It praises the Lord’s Name as happiness-giving and stresses that one must carefully avoid the ten offenses (nāma-aparādhas) against the Name.
It illustrates self-harm through stubbornness: knowingly clinging to offenses is like a child angrily refusing even a mother’s nourishment, resulting in needless suffering.
Spiritual practice requires humility and vigilance—when one learns what is harmful (offenses), one should promptly renounce it rather than persist out of heedlessness or pride.