Shloka 25
Kāma and Indra’s Attempt to Shatter Chastity; the ‘Abode of Satya’ and the Ethics of the Virtuous Home
तद्गृहं सुकलाख्यं मे दग्धुं पापः समुद्यतः । अयमेष सहस्राक्षः कामेन सहितो बली
tadgṛhaṃ sukalākhyaṃ me dagdhuṃ pāpaḥ samudyataḥ | ayameṣa sahasrākṣaḥ kāmena sahito balī
ಆ ಪಾಪಿ ನನ್ನ ‘ಸುಕಲಾ’ ಎಂಬ ಗೃಹವನ್ನು ದಹಿಸಲು ಎದ್ದಿದ್ದಾನೆ. ಇಗೋ ಕಾಮನೊಂದಿಗೆ ಬಂದಿರುವ ಸಹಸ್ರಾಕ್ಷ ಬಲಿಷ್ಠ ಇಂದ್ರನು ಇಲ್ಲಿದ್ದಾನೆ.
Uncertain (context not provided; likely a character narrating an impending attack/arson involving Indra and Kāma)
Concept: Even exalted beings can become instruments of adharma when driven by kāma; protection of the righteous household is a dharmic imperative.
Application: Treat desire as a force that can rationalize harm; pause before acting from impulse, and protect what is entrusted to you (home, dependents, vows).
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: city
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A righteous home named Sukalā stands at the edge of a forest-settlement, its threshold marked with protective symbols and a small lamp. Indra, crowned and radiant yet tense, arrives with Kāma—bow in hand—while a dark intent to burn the house gathers like smoke before any flame is lit.","primary_figures":["Indra (Sahasrākṣa)","Kāma (Manmatha)","Sukalā (as the threatened householder figure, implied)"],"setting":"Forest-border hermitage village with a modest but sanctified house, tulasī planter near the doorway, and a distant sacrificial fire altar.","lighting_mood":"storm-charged twilight with flashes of divine radiance","color_palette":["indigo storm-cloud","burnished gold","ash gray","vermilion","leaf green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Indra with gem-studded crown and gold-leaf halo stands beside Kāma holding a sugarcane bow; in the foreground the ‘Sukalā’ house with ornate doorway and a small oil lamp, gold leaf embellishment on ornaments and halos, rich reds and greens, traditional South Indian iconography, dramatic tension conveyed through posture and angled gazes.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a lyrical forest-edge settlement with delicate trees and a small sanctified house; Indra and Kāma approach from the right, refined faces and soft shading, cool blues and greens with a hint of smoky gray, subtle narrative tension in the spacing and gestures.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, Indra’s large expressive eyes and ornate jewelry, Kāma with stylized bow, the house rendered as a temple-like domestic shrine, natural pigments with dominant red/yellow/green, a looming smoky aura suggesting arson intent.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: ornate floral borders and lotus motifs framing a domestic shrine-house; Indra and Kāma depicted with Nathdwara-like decorative richness, deep blues and gold, peacocks perched on the roofline, the threat symbolized by curling smoke patterns rather than explicit flames."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["distant thunder","temple bells","conch shell (faint)","rustling leaves","tense silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तत्+गृहम्→तद्गृहं; सुकला+आख्यम्→सुकलाख्यं; अयम्+एषः→अयमेष; सहस्र+अक्षः→सहस्राक्षः (समास); कामेन+सहितः (अर्थतः सह-सम्बन्धः)।
FAQs
“Sahasrākṣa” (“Thousand-Eyed”) is a standard epithet of Indra, king of the gods, frequently used in Purāṇic narratives.
Kāma’s presence signals the influence of desire/attraction as a motivating force in the episode; Purāṇic stories often pair divine agents with personified impulses (like Kāma) to explain actions and conflicts.
Labeling the aggressor “pāpaḥ” frames the act (arson/violence) as adharma, warning that actions driven by harmful intent and uncontrolled desire lead to moral and karmic downfall.