Shloka 61
The Tale of Sukalā: Testing Pativratā Fidelity and the Body-as-House Teaching
एतद्गृहस्य वार्द्धक्यं कथितं शृणु दूतिके । पतमानं गृहं दृष्ट्वा गृहस्वामी परित्यजेत्
etadgṛhasya vārddhakyaṃ kathitaṃ śṛṇu dūtike | patamānaṃ gṛhaṃ dṛṣṭvā gṛhasvāmī parityajet
ດັ່ງນີ້ແລ້ວ ‘ຄວາມແກ່’ ຄືຄວາມເສື່ອມຂອງເຮືອນນີ້ ໄດ້ຖືກກ່າວໄວ້—ຈົ່ງຟັງ ໂອ ນາງທູດ. ເຫັນເຮືອນກຳລັງພັງ ເຈົ້າຂອງເຮືອນພຶງລະທິ້ງມັນ.
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (addressing a dūtikā, ‘female messenger’).
Concept: When the ‘house’ (body/worldly situation) is collapsing, the wise master should abandon attachment and seek a safer refuge—spiritual shelter in Bhagavān.
Application: Practice timely letting-go: simplify possessions, reduce ego-investment in status, and intensify sādhana before decline; treat aging/illness as prompts to deepen devotion rather than panic.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A female messenger stands at the threshold as an old house sags, beams splitting and plaster falling like dust. The householder, calm yet resolute, steps away carrying only prayer beads and a small bundle, while a distant path leads toward a serene Viṣṇu shrine—symbolizing the move from collapsing shelter to eternal refuge.","primary_figures":["Dūtikā (female messenger)","Householder (gṛhasvāmin)","Viṣṇu (as distant sanctuary, optional)"],"setting":"Courtyard of an aging home with cracked pillars, fallen tiles, and a road leading to a temple or forest hermitage; a threshold moment of departure.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["warm terracotta","smoke gray","pale turmeric","peacock blue","antique gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: the moment of renunciation—householder stepping away from a collapsing house while the dūtikā gestures in warning; ornate gold leaf on the distant Viṣṇu shrine and on the border, rich reds/greens in textiles, jewel-like detailing on ornaments, stylized architecture with traditional South Indian motifs.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate narrative at a courtyard—delicate depiction of cracked beams and falling plaster, the messenger’s expressive posture, the householder’s composed face; cool morning light, distant temple on a hill, fine floral details along the path.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines of the sagging house and the departing master, the dūtikā in profile with emphatic hand gesture; natural pigments, strong ochre-red background, a small luminous Viṣṇu icon at the horizon as the true āśraya.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic ‘leaving the collapsing house’ at the lower register, with the upper register dominated by lotus-framed Kṛṣṇa/Viṣṇu as refuge; intricate floral borders, cows and peacocks near the temple path, deep blues and gold accents, narrative panels like a devotional textile."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["creaking wood","falling dust","distant temple bell","soft conch"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: एतत् + गृहस्य → एतद्गृहस्य (त् + ग् → द्ग्).
FAQs
It advises practical discernment: when a situation (symbolized by a collapsing house) is clearly failing and unsafe, one should let it go rather than cling to it.
Literally it is a house, but Purāṇic discourse often allows a broader reading: a deteriorating ‘support’—such as a failing arrangement or attachment—should be relinquished when it can no longer sustain life properly.
The verse directly addresses a dūtikā (female messenger), but the larger narrative context is not included in the excerpt, so the specific identity cannot be confirmed from this line alone.