Shloka 25
The Tale of Kāmodā and Vihuṇḍa: Tear-Born Lotuses on the Gaṅgā and the Ethics of Worship
विष्णोश्चैव महामायां पूर्वदृष्टां स दानवः । सस्मार दानवः पापः कामबाणैः प्रपीडितः
viṣṇoścaiva mahāmāyāṃ pūrvadṛṣṭāṃ sa dānavaḥ | sasmāra dānavaḥ pāpaḥ kāmabāṇaiḥ prapīḍitaḥ
その邪なるダーナヴァは、欲の矢に責められつつ、かつて見たヴィシュヌの大いなるマーヤーを再び思い起こした。
Narrator (contextual; specific dialogue pair not explicit in the given single verse)
Concept: Memory (smṛti) can either liberate (when fixed on the Lord) or bind (when fixed on māyā and desire); what one repeatedly recalls becomes one’s inner world.
Application: Train remembrance: replace obsessive recollection of temptations with deliberate nāma-japa, śāstra-reading, and service so the mind’s default ‘smṛti’ becomes sattvic.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The dānava pauses amid turmoil, eyes widening as a vision of Viṣṇu’s Mahāmāyā rises in his mind like a mirage—half luminous, half terrifying. Invisible ‘arrows of desire’ seem to pierce his chest, shown as subtle red-gold streaks, while the remembered form shimmers just beyond reach.","primary_figures":["Dānava (tormented by kāma)","Mahāmāyā (as a radiant, elusive feminine power)","Viṣṇu (implied as source of māyā, optional distant aura)"],"setting":"Psychic inner landscape blending with a temple corridor or twilight grove—reality and illusion interpenetrate; floating petals and wavering air suggest māyā.","lighting_mood":"moonlit with uncanny radiance","color_palette":["electric sapphire","silver moon-white","rose-gold","shadow violet","smoldering red"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central dānava with expressive eyes, chest marked by stylized kāma-bāṇa motifs; behind him a shimmering Mahāmāyā figure with gold leaf aura and intricate jewelry; rich reds/blues, embossed gold patterns to convey illusion’s glitter.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: dreamlike double-plane composition—foreground demon in anguish, background translucent feminine form in pale blues and silvers; delicate lines for ‘desire arrows’ and soft gradients for mirage effect; lyrical trees and a faint shrine silhouette.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized Mahāmāyā with large eyes and ornate crown; demon in strong contrasting colors; swirling cloud motifs around to show māyā; traditional pigment palette with added silver-white highlights.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: deep blue field with gold floral borders; central figure of Mahāmāyā rendered as a luminous motif, surrounded by repeating arrow/flower patterns symbolizing kāma; demon at lower edge looking upward; intricate textile symmetry with intentional ‘waviness’ to suggest illusion."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft drone (tanpura)","distant conch","night insects","gentle wind"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: विष्णोः + च + एव → विष्णोश्चैव।
FAQs
It refers to Viṣṇu’s vast power of Māyā—his divine, world-projecting and deluding potency—through which beings become captivated by appearances and desire.
“Kāma’s arrows” is a common Sanskrit metaphor for the intense compulsion of desire that wounds the mind and drives a person toward obsession and recollection of what they crave.
The verse highlights how desire can overpower discernment and pull even a determined being back into fascination with illusion (Māyā), implying the need for self-control and clarity to avoid being ruled by craving.