Shloka 51
The Liberation of the Lizard
Godhā-vimukti
यया भर्ता वशं नीतो रक्षाचूर्णादिभिर्नृप । साधुभ्यो यत्कृतं राजन्यशःस्वर्गकरं भवेत् ॥ ५१ ॥
yayā bhartā vaśaṃ nīto rakṣācūrṇādibhirnṛpa | sādhubhyo yatkṛtaṃ rājanyaśaḥsvargakaraṃ bhavet || 51 ||
Wahai raja, sarana seperti bubuk pelindung yang dipakai untuk menundukkan suami—bila hal yang sama dilakukan demi para sadhu dan orang saleh, wahai penguasa, itu menjadi sebab nama baik dan mengantar ke surga.
Narada (teaching a king in didactic discourse)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It teaches that the moral direction of an act matters: practices used for domination become meritorious when redirected toward honoring and benefiting sādhus, yielding punya, good reputation, and heavenly results.
By prioritizing service to the virtuous (sadhu-sevā) over self-centered control, the verse aligns action with humility and reverence—qualities that support Vishnu-bhakti in the Purāṇic ethic, even when the verse speaks in the language of ritual acts.
It indirectly cautions about ritual-technical applications (prayoga) of protective substances and rites: the same external procedure can bear different fruits depending on dharmic intent and proper, non-harmful deployment—an applied principle relevant to Kalpa (ritual practice).