Shloka 55
The Deeds of Sukalā (Vena Episode): Husband as Tīrtha & Pativratā-Dharma
भर्तृत्यागो वरं नैव प्राणत्यागो वरं सखि । वियोगं न समर्थाहं सहितुं नित्यदारुणम्
bhartṛtyāgo varaṃ naiva prāṇatyāgo varaṃ sakhi | viyogaṃ na samarthāhaṃ sahituṃ nityadāruṇam
ការបោះបង់ចោលស្វាមីមិនមែនជាជម្រើសល្អទេ ផ្ទុយទៅវិញ សូម្បីតែការលះបង់ជីវិតក៏ប្រសើរជាងដែរ ម្នាលមិត្ត។ ខ្ញុំមិនអាចទ្រាំទ្រនឹងការបែកបាក់ ដែលឃោរឃៅនិងមិនចេះចប់មិនចេះហើយនេះបានទេ។
Unspecified female speaker addressing her friend (sakhi) (context needed for precise identification within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa 41)
Concept: Steadfast commitment is affirmed even amid suffering; yet the inability to bear separation signals the need for compassionate support and dharmic resolution rather than self-harm.
Application: Hold to your values, but also seek help when overwhelmed; channel longing into constructive devotion (nāma-japa, temple service, tulasī-sevā) and community support.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The wife, calmer but exhausted, speaks to a close friend who holds her hands, grounding her. In the background, a small lamp before a Viṣṇu image burns steadily, suggesting that devotion can hold the mind when separation becomes unbearable.","primary_figures":["pativratā wife","sakhi (close friend)","Viṣṇu icon (background)"],"setting":"quiet interior courtyard or shrine corner, with a steady lamp and simple offerings","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["soft gold","lotus pink","sage green","cream white","gentle brown"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: intimate two-figure composition—wife and sakhi in consoling posture near a small Viṣṇu shrine; gold leaf radiance around the deity and lamp flame, rich textiles, ornate border, conch-disc motifs subtly framing the moral center of steadfastness.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: tender counseling scene at dawn, delicate brushwork, soft pastel palette, the lamp and shrine rendered with fine detail; a window opening to a pale sky, conveying a shift from despair toward endurance.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines with compassionate gestures, the lamp as a central symbol, warm yellow-red tones balanced with green; temple-wall narrative clarity emphasizing emotional resolution.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional domestic scene framed by lotus and creeper borders; deep blue-to-dawn gradient background, gold floral filigree, peacocks calmer and upright, small Viṣṇu symbol at the top center anchoring the composition."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft tanpura","gentle bells","morning birds","steady lamp ambience","quiet breathing pauses"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नैव = न + एव; समर्थाहं = समर्था + अहं (स्वर-सन्धि); नित्यदारुणम् = नित्य + दारुणम् (कर्मधारय-समास).
FAQs
The verse centers on viraha (the anguish of separation), portraying separation from the husband as a constant and unbearable suffering.
It implies the ideal of pativratā-dharma—steadfast devotion to one’s husband—where abandoning him is rejected even more strongly than death itself.
The shloka itself only indicates a woman speaking to a friend (“sakhi”). Identifying the exact character requires the surrounding narrative of Bhūmi-khaṇḍa, Adhyaya 41.