Shloka 116
Marks of the Debt-Bound/Enemy Son, Filial Dharma, Detachment, and the Durvāsā–Dharma Episode
इति ज्ञात्वा स धर्मात्मा भवान्समवलोकयेत् । यथा चौरा महापापाः स्वकायेन सहंति ते
iti jñātvā sa dharmātmā bhavānsamavalokayet | yathā caurā mahāpāpāḥ svakāyena sahaṃti te
ഇതു അറിഞ്ഞ് നിങ്ങൾ—ധർമ്മാത്മാവായി—ഇതിനെ നന്നായി ആലോചിക്കണം; മഹാപാപികളായ കള്ളന്മാർ തങ്ങളുടെ ശരീരത്തോടുകൂടി ശിക്ഷാദുഃഖം സഹിക്കുന്നതുപോലെ.
Unspecified (context needed from surrounding verses; likely within a teacher-to-listener purāṇic dialogue)
Concept: A righteous person should contemplate karmic causality; criminals suffer through their own embodied agency—no one escapes the moral physics of action.
Application: Before acting, pause and ‘pre-live’ the consequence: if an act would degrade your body/mind (addiction, violence, deceit), treat it as self-harm; cultivate habits that make the body a fit vessel for japa, pūjā, and service.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A teacher figure gestures toward a scene where a thief is caught, not by external force alone but by the weight of his own actions: his hands are bound by a rope that subtly transforms into a garland of dark karmic knots. In the foreground, a calm ‘dharmātmā’ listener stands with folded hands, contemplating the lesson as the body itself becomes the stage of consequence.","primary_figures":["A sage/teacher (unnamed)","Dharmātmā listener (king or noble)","Thief (cora)","Guards (symbolic)"],"setting":"An earthly city gate or marketplace court, with a small shrine to Vishnu in the background to imply dharmic order under the Lord.","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["ochre","burnt umber","lamp-gold","deep teal","ash gray"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a righteous king/listener with folded hands before a sage; to the side, a thief bound with a rope rendered as stylized karmic knots; gold leaf highlights on the sage’s halo and the shrine’s arch; rich reds/greens, ornate jewelry, embossed gold detailing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a quiet courtyard scene with delicate brushwork; the sage instructs while a thief is led away; soft shadows, cool greens and blues, refined faces; a small Vishnu shrine painted with lyrical naturalism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines; the thief’s body shown as the locus of suffering; the teacher’s hand raised in upadeśa mudrā; warm red/yellow/green pigments, stylized architecture and lamp flames.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: moral tableau framed by lotus borders; central medallion of a contemplative devotee; side panels show the thief’s capture; shankha-chakra motifs and floral vines; deep indigo background with gold accents."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["courtroom murmurs (subtle)","single bell strike","wind through city archways","brief silence after admonition"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: भवान्समवलोकयेत् = भवान् + समवलोकयेत्; चौरा = चौराः (visarga-lopa before consonant in some recensions); सहंति = सह + अहन्ति (padapāṭha separation).
FAQs
It stresses personal accountability: wrongdoing brings suffering that one must bear oneself, like thieves who endure punishment in their own bodies.
It aligns with karma by implying that harmful actions produce consequences that return to the doer, experienced directly rather than transferred to others.
This single verse does not name the speaker; identifying the speaker reliably requires the immediately preceding and following verses from Adhyaya 12.