Shloka 61
Episode of King Vena: Deceptive Doctrine, Compassion, and the Contest over Dharma
विनिंद्य धर्मं सकलं सवेदं दानं सपुण्यं परयज्ञरूपम् । पापस्वभावैर्बहुबोधितो नृपस्त्वंगस्य पुत्रो भुवि तेन पापिना
viniṃdya dharmaṃ sakalaṃ savedaṃ dānaṃ sapuṇyaṃ parayajñarūpam | pāpasvabhāvairbahubodhito nṛpastvaṃgasya putro bhuvi tena pāpinā
ವೇದಗಳೊಡನೆ ಸಮಸ್ತ ಧರ್ಮವನ್ನು ನಿಂದಿಸಿ, ದಾನವನ್ನು—ಅದು ಸ್ವತಃ ಪುಣ್ಯವೂ ಪರಮಯಜ್ಞಸ್ವರೂಪವೂ ಆಗಿದ್ದರೂ—ತಿರಸ್ಕರಿಸಿ, ಭುವಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅಂಗನ ಪುತ್ರನಾದ ಒಬ್ಬ ರಾಜನಿದ್ದನು; ಪಾಪಸ್ವಭಾವದ ಆ ಪಾಪಿಯಿಂದ ಮರುಮರು ಬೋಧಿಸಲ್ಪಟ್ಟು ಅವನೂ ಪಾಪಿಯಾಗಿಬಿಟ್ಟನು.
Unspecified narrator (contextual narration within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa)
Concept: Reviling Veda-dharma and scorning dāna destroys merit and spreads sin through bad counsel.
Application: Choose teachers carefully; honor śāstra-guided ethics; practice charity as a daily yajña (food, time, protection, truthfulness).
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: city
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dark-counseling ascetic figure gestures dismissively toward a pile of Vedic manuscripts and a sacrificial altar, while a young king listens, his face conflicted. In the background, a neglected yajña-kuṇḍa smolders out, and the people’s offerings lie scattered—signaling dharma’s unraveling.","primary_figures":["king (son of Aṅga)","sinful counselor (Jain man as portrayed polemically)","priests (in background)","common people (in background)"],"setting":"Royal court transitioning into a deserted sacrificial ground; overturned dāna vessels; ignored fire-altar","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["smoke gray","deep maroon","ash white","dull gold","indigo"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a court scene where the king is swayed by a dark-robed counselor; Vedic palm-leaf texts and a yajña-kuṇḍa shown neglected, gold leaf used ironically on royal ornaments, heavy reds and greens, expressive gestures of rejection, ornate pillars and archways.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate palace veranda with fine linework; the counselor points away from a small altar, the king’s posture tilts toward him; muted twilight palette, delicate faces, symbolic extinguished fire and scattered flowers, narrative clarity with restrained drama.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: strong outlines, stylized flames fading in the altar, the king and counselor in bold poses; saturated reds/yellows/greens with dark indigo background, moral tension conveyed through eye direction and hand mudrās.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: allegorical composition—central king turning from a stylized yajña and dāna vessels; border of withering lotuses and dim lamps; deep blues and maroons, intricate patterns, symbolic peacocks looking away, emphasizing dharma’s decline."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low drum pulse","distant thunder","crackling dying fire","court murmurs","sudden silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पापस्वभावैर्बहुबोधितो = पापस्वभावैः + बहुबोधितः (ः + ब् → र्ब्); नृपस्त्वंगस्य = नृपः + त्वम् + अङ्गस्य (visarga sandhi and word-joining in recitation)
FAQs
It warns that reviling dharma, the Vedas, and charitable giving leads to moral downfall—especially when one is influenced by repeated instruction from a wicked advisor.
The verse frames charity as a high spiritual act comparable to (or embodying) the essence of a great yajña, emphasizing its religious merit and transformative power.
The king becomes sinful because he is “bahu-bodhitaḥ”—repeatedly indoctrinated—by a pāpī of pāpa-svabhāva, highlighting the danger of sustained corrupt influence.