Shloka 120
The Episode of Vena: Purification, the ‘Vāsudevābhidhā’ Hymn, and the Dharma of Charity
Times, Tīrthas, Worthy Recipients
स्त्रीजिताय न दातव्यं शाखारंडे महामते । व्याधिताय न दातव्यं मृतभोजिषु भूपते
strījitāya na dātavyaṃ śākhāraṃḍe mahāmate | vyādhitāya na dātavyaṃ mṛtabhojiṣu bhūpate
ഹേ മഹാമതേ, സ്ത്രീജിതനു (സ്ത്രീയുടെ അധീനനായവനു)യും ശാഖാരണ്ഡനു (വേഷധാരി വൈരാഗിക്ക്)യും ഇത് ദാനം നൽകരുത്; ഹേ ഭൂപതേ, രോഗിയ്ക്കും നൽകരുത്, മൃതഭോജികളിലും (മൃതസംബന്ധ ഭക്ഷണം കഴിക്കുന്നവരിലും) നൽകരുത്।
Unspecified narrator (dialogue context not provided in the input)
Concept: Gifts meant for dharma should not be given where agency is compromised, hypocrisy is present, illness obstructs ritual fitness, or death-impurity contexts dominate; dāna is regulated by śauca and integrity.
Application: Give responsibly: avoid enabling manipulation or hypocrisy; separate charitable care for the sick from ritual gifting categories if your tradition distinguishes them; be mindful of contexts of mourning/impurity when performing explicitly religious offerings.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sequence-like scene: the sage enumerates prohibitions as the king observes different recipients approaching a dāna-altar—one appears controlled by another’s gestures, one wears ascetic garb with a hidden smirk, one is visibly ill, and a final group stands near a funeral pyre’s smoke. The altar’s flame remains steady, symbolizing dharma’s demand for clarity and proper context.","primary_figures":["Narrator/sage","King (bhūpati)","Hypocritical ascetic (śākhāraṇḍa)","Sick person (vyādhita)","Mourning/funeral-associated group (mṛtabhojins)"],"setting":"Court-ritual space transitioning into a liminal cremation-ground vignette at the edge","lighting_mood":"twilight austerity","color_palette":["smoky violet","ash gray","saffron flame","dark teal","antique gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: multi-episode dharma tableau—central sage and king near a gold-embellished dāna-altar; to the sides, stylized figures representing the dominated man, the hypocritical ascetic with ornate but deceptive garb, the sick recipient, and a funeral-associated group near curling smoke; heavy gold leaf on altar and ornaments, rich reds/greens with ash-gray smoke accents, temple pillars and symmetrical framing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: narrative strip composition with four small vignettes around the central instruction; delicate brushwork shows subtle facial cues of hypocrisy and concern; a distant cremation-ground smoke plume rendered softly; cool twilight palette with warm saffron highlights at the altar.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and segmented panels; central instruction scene with bright lamp and altar; side panels show the prohibited categories in simplified iconographic forms; strong reds/yellows/greens with ash-gray smoke band for the mṛta context; temple-wall storytelling aesthetic.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central shrine-like panel of dharma instruction framed by lotus borders; peripheral medallions depict the four prohibited contexts as symbolic scenes; deep indigo ground with gold filigree, stylized smoke and floral motifs, ornate textile patterning that keeps even severe themes within devotional visual grammar."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"authoritative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["steady temple bell","low chanting drone","soft wind","distant crackle (cremation fire vignette)","silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: No major external sandhi; compounds: स्त्रीजित, महामति, भूपति, मृतभोजिन्.
FAQs
It teaches discernment in charity (dāna): gifts should be given to worthy recipients and avoided in contexts considered ethically or ritually improper.
The term is commonly glossed as a fraudulent or fallen ascetic—someone outwardly religious but inwardly undisciplined—hence considered an unfit recipient for certain gifts.
In many Dharma traditions, food associated with death rites or impurity contexts can be ritually restricted; the verse cautions against giving in such settings when the gift is meant to produce religious merit.