Shloka 69
Yayāti’s Summons to Heaven and the Teaching on Old Age, the Five-Element Body, and Self–Body Discernment
वह्निना दीप्यमानस्तु सरसो ज्वलते नृप । तस्माद्विजायते धूमो धूमान्मेघाश्च जज्ञिरे
vahninā dīpyamānastu saraso jvalate nṛpa | tasmādvijāyate dhūmo dhūmānmeghāśca jajñire
हे नृप! जब अग्नि प्रज्वलित होती है, तब सरोवर भी मानो जल उठता है। उससे धुआँ उत्पन्न होता है और धुएँ से मेघ जन्म लेते हैं।
Unspecified narrator addressing a king (nṛpa)
Concept: Elemental causality: fire gives rise to smoke, smoke to clouds—illustrating chained emergence and the interdependence of bhūtas.
Application: Observe cause-and-effect in daily life; cultivate discernment (viveka) that phenomena arise from conditions and are therefore unstable—supporting humility and steadiness in sādhana.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A blazing fire near a broad lotus-filled lake makes the water’s surface shimmer as if aflame; thick smoke rises in spirals and transforms into towering monsoon clouds overhead. A king watches in wonder as a sage narrates the hidden chain from flame to smoke to cloud, with subtle divine geometry suggesting cosmic order.","primary_figures":["a teaching sage (ṛṣi)","a king (nṛpa)","Agni (implied/present in flames)"],"setting":"lakeside with lotuses, reeds, and a small sacrificial fire altar; distant horizon under forming clouds","lighting_mood":"divine radiance with storm-brewing sky","color_palette":["flame gold","charcoal gray","monsoon blue","lotus pink","silver-white"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: lakeside scene with a bright sacrificial fire, smoke rendered as ornate curling patterns turning into cloud forms above; sage and king in rich garments, gold leaf highlights on flames and cloud edges, traditional South Indian ornamentation, decorative border with lotus motifs.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate lake with pink lotuses, a small fire on the bank, smoke rising into soft layered clouds; cool blues and gentle grays, fine brushwork, lyrical naturalism, the king and sage seated on a patterned cloth under a tree.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized flames and smoke in bold contours, clouds as rhythmic bands; sage instructing the king with expressive eyes, natural pigment reds/yellows/greens, temple-wall composition with lotus and water patterns.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a lotus lake foreground with ornate floral borders; smoke-cloud transformation depicted as decorative swirling vines; deep blue background with gold accents, devotional symmetry, peacocks near the water, subtle Vaishnava symbols (conch/lotus) in corners."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["crackling fire","wind rising","distant thunder","water lapping","birds circling"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दीप्यमानस्तु = दीप्यमानः + तु; तस्माद्विजायते = तस्मात् + विजायते; धूमान्मेघाश्च = धूमात् + मेघाः + च
FAQs
It presents a cause-and-effect sequence: fire intensifies, smoke arises, and clouds emerge from that smoke—using natural imagery to explain generation and transformation.
“Nṛpa” indicates the teaching is framed as counsel or explanation given to a royal listener, a common Purāṇic narrative style even when the specific speaker is not named in the excerpt.
It emphasizes origination through causal chains: one condition gives rise to the next, illustrating transformation (pariṇāma) and dependent arising in the manifest world.