Shloka 78
Pitṛ-tīrtha Context: Marks of Sin, Śrāddha Discipline, and Karmic Ripening
in Yayāti’s Narrative
यः कर्ता सर्वशास्त्राणां गोहर्ता गोश्च विक्रयी । निर्दयोऽतीव भृत्येषु पशूनां दमकश्च यः
yaḥ kartā sarvaśāstrāṇāṃ gohartā gośca vikrayī | nirdayo'tīva bhṛtyeṣu paśūnāṃ damakaśca yaḥ
જે સર્વ શાસ્ત્રોનો કર્તા કહેવાય, છતાં ગાયો ચોરી કરે અને વેચે; જે સેવકો પ્રત્યે અતિ નિર્દય હોય અને પશુઓને માર મારી વશ કરે—એવો મનુષ્ય નિંદ્ય છે।
Unknown (context not provided; likely within a Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue typical of sections of the Padma Purāṇa)
Concept: Scholarship without compassion and integrity is hypocrisy; cruelty to dependents and animals is condemnable despite intellectual prestige.
Application: Align learning with character: treat workers fairly, avoid exploitation, practice kindness to animals; let ‘knowledge’ be measured by restraint and care.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A richly dressed ‘author’ sits amid stacks of palm-leaf treatises, yet behind him a hidden pen shows stolen cows being led away, while a servant recoils from a raised stick and a trembling animal is struck. The composition splits: the front displays prestige and learning; the back reveals the moral shadow of cruelty.","primary_figures":["hypocritical scholar (śāstra-kartṛ)","cows (go)","servant (bhṛtya)","animal being beaten","witnessing rishi (optional moral observer)"],"setting":"Courtyard of a wealthy house with a study alcove; rear alley with cattle pen and servants’ quarters.","lighting_mood":"chiaroscuro (lamp-lit foreground, shadowed background)","color_palette":["lamp gold","charcoal shadow","oxblood red","dusty brown","pale cow-white"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: opulent scholar with gold leaf ornaments and manuscript bundles in the foreground, but narrative vignettes in side panels showing cow theft and cruelty, heavy gold detailing contrasted with dark moral scenes, rich reds/greens, traditional framing with moral symbolism.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: split-scene storytelling—foreground scholar writing, background discreet cow pen and servant scene, delicate brushwork, muted earth tones with sharp highlights, expressive faces conveying fear and hypocrisy.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized manuscript stacks, cow and servant rendered with strong gestures, warm pigment palette, moral contrast through darker background fields, temple mural narrative clarity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: narrative panels bordered by floral motifs; central figure with manuscripts, side motifs of cows and sticks as allegory, deep blue ground with gold and red accents, intricate border work."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"grave","sound_elements":["low drum (mridang-like)","distant cow bell","rustle of palm leaves","sharp pause at condemnatory phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: निर्दयोऽतीव = निर्दयः + अतीव; गोश्च = गोः + च.
FAQs
It highlights hypocrisy: scholarship or authorship is spiritually meaningless when paired with unethical conduct like theft, exploitation, and cruelty.
True dharma requires compassion and integrity—non-violence toward animals, fair treatment of dependents, and abstaining from theft and profiteering from harm.
Cows are traditionally protected in dharma literature; stealing or trading them unlawfully is treated as a grave moral offense symbolizing exploitation of the vulnerable and sacred.