Shloka 17
Karmas Leading to Hell and Heaven
Ethical Catalog of Destinies
शस्त्राणां चैव कर्त्तारः शल्यानां धनुषां तथा । विक्रेतारश्च राजेंद्र नरा निरयगामिनः
śastrāṇāṃ caiva karttāraḥ śalyānāṃ dhanuṣāṃ tathā | vikretāraśca rājeṃdra narā nirayagāminaḥ
ໂອ ພະຣາຊາເຫນືອພະຣາຊາ! ຜູ້ໃດຜະລິດອາວຸດ—ຫອກ ແລະ ຄັນທະນູ—ພ້ອມທັງຜູ້ຂາຍອາວຸດນັ້ນ ລ້ວນເປັນຜູ້ໄປນະລົກ।
Unspecified (addressing a king: rājendra)
Concept: Enabling violence through manufacturing and selling weapons accrues grave pāpa and leads to naraka.
Application: Choose livelihoods that do not profit from harm; in governance, regulate arms trade, prioritize protection, mediation, and welfare; in personal life, avoid encouraging violence through tools, speech, or funding.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Inside a smoky forge, weapon-smiths hammer spearheads and bow fittings while merchants weigh coins—yet the air is heavy with unseen karmic smoke. In the background, a king listens sternly to a sage, realizing that violence multiplies not only on battlefields but in workshops and markets.","primary_figures":["Pulastya (sage)","Bhīṣma (kingly listener)","weapon-smiths","arms merchant","Yama’s shadowy scribes (subtle)"],"setting":"iron forge and marketplace merging into a didactic courtly space—an allegorical split scene","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["charcoal black","molten orange","iron gray","saffron glow","blood red"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: allegorical court scene—Pulastya instructing Bhīṣma; below, a forge with glowing embers and stylized weapons; gold leaf on sage’s aura and dharma symbols, rich reds/greens, ornate pillars, gem-like highlights on the king’s crown contrasting with dark forge tones.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined interior with a small forge vignette; delicate smoke curls, cool shadows, and precise linework on bows and spears; Himalayan palette with warm ember accents; expressive, restrained faces conveying moral tension.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines; central sage-king dialogue, side panel of weapon-making; strong reds/yellows/greens with blackened forge corner; iconographic emphasis on dharma vs. himsā.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic composition—floral borders and lotus medallions framing a cautionary scene; a small Vishnu śaṅkha-cakra emblem above as divine witness; deep blue ground with gold detailing, peacocks turned away from the forge as a sign of inauspicious violence."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["anvil strikes (softly underlay)","temple bell","conch shell punctuation","low drone (tanpura)","brief hush at 'nirayagāminaḥ'"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: caiva = ca + eva; vikretāraśca = vikretāraḥ + ca; rājeṃdra normalized as rājendra.
FAQs
It teaches responsibility for harm enabled through one’s livelihood: those who produce or trade in instruments of violence incur grave negative karma.
The verse treats enabling violence as morally consequential, whether by creating weapons or distributing them—both roles facilitate injury and conflict.
A ruler should regulate harmful trades and encourage livelihoods aligned with non-injury (ahiṃsā) and social welfare, since commerce can carry karmic accountability.