Shloka 4
Yayāti Ensnared by Desire: Gandharva Marriage, Aśvamedha, and the Demand to See the Worlds
तथा त्वं वेष्टितः सर्पैः सपत्नीनामसंज्ञकैः । वरमग्निप्रवेशश्च शिखाग्रात्पतनं वरम्
tathā tvaṃ veṣṭitaḥ sarpaiḥ sapatnīnāmasaṃjñakaiḥ | varamagnipraveśaśca śikhāgrātpatanaṃ varam
അതുപോലെ നീ സപത്നികളുടെ പേരുള്ള സർപ്പങ്ങൾ ചുറ്റിപ്പറ്റിയിരിക്കുന്നു; അഗ്നിപ്രവേശം പോലും ശ്രേയസ്, ശിഖരാഗ്രത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വീഴലോ അതിലും ശ്രേയസ്.
Unspecified (context-dependent within Adhyaya 79)
Concept: Certain toxic entanglements are portrayed as worse than death; the verse dramatizes the destructive power of jealousy and rivalry within the household.
Application: Treat jealousy and triangulated relationships as spiritually corrosive; seek truthful resolution, boundaries, and dharmic counsel rather than escalating harm.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: mountain
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A tense palace interior dissolves into a symbolic vision: serpents with jeweled hoods labeled as ‘rival wives’ coil around a solitary figure, tightening like living garlands of poison. In the background, two stark escape-images appear—an austere sacrificial fire and a sheer mountain precipice—showing the speaker’s grim comparison.","primary_figures":["A distressed king or husband figure","serpents as personified rivalry","a stern counselor/sage","symbolic sacrificial fire"],"setting":"Palace chamber rendered as allegorical space, with a fire-pit (agni) and a distant mountain cliff appearing like moral choices.","lighting_mood":"dramatic chiaroscuro","color_palette":["charcoal black","ember orange","blood red","ashen white","cold slate blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: allegorical palace scene with a central figure encircled by ornate serpents; gold leaf highlights on serpent hoods and fire flames, rich crimson drapery, temple-arch framing; the mountain peak rendered as a stylized blue-gray triangle in the distance, emphasizing the verse’s extreme warning.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined interior with delicate patterns; serpents coil with elegant linework, the fire glows softly, and a distant Himalayan cliff is painted in cool washes; expressive faces convey dread and moral urgency, with lyrical but tense composition.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and flat pigments; central coiling serpents dominate, fire rendered in bright reds/yellows, mountain in muted blues; large-eyed figures show alarm, with decorative borders suggesting a cautionary tale on a temple wall.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic serpents arranged in a circular mandala around the central figure; flame motif at one side, mountain motif at the other; intricate floral borders in deep indigo and gold, peacocks absent or subdued to keep the mood severe and admonitory."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["low thunder roll","crackling fire","sharp cymbal accent","sudden hush"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सपत्नी-नाम-संज्ञकैः = सपत्नीनामसंज्ञकैः (समास/सन्धि). वरम् + अग्निप्रवेशः + च = वरमग्निप्रवेशश्च. शिखा-अग्रात् + पतनम् = शिखाग्रात्पतनम्.
FAQs
It uses a strong simile to describe unbearable distress: being surrounded by hostile forces is compared to being coiled by serpents, and it claims that even extreme dangers (fire or falling from a peak) would be preferable.
It poetically equates the pain of rivalry and hostility among co-wives (sapatnī) with venomous serpents—an image meant to convey psychological torment and social danger.
The verse warns against environments of persistent hostility and jealousy, implying that such conditions can be spiritually and emotionally destructive and should be avoided or resolved through restraint and right conduct.