Shloka 38
Ratnagrīva’s Pilgrimage and the Prescribed Procedure for Visiting Sacred Tīrthas
ये तु मद्वाक्यमुल्लंघ्य स्थास्यंति पुरुषा गृहे । ते दंड्या यमदंडेन पापिनोऽधर्महेतवः
ye tu madvākyamullaṃghya sthāsyaṃti puruṣā gṛhe | te daṃḍyā yamadaṃḍena pāpino'dharmahetavaḥ
എന്റെ ആജ്ഞ ലംഘിച്ച് വീട്ടിൽ തന്നെ നില്ക്കുന്ന പുരുഷന്മാർ പാപികളും അധർമ്മഹേതുക്കളുമാകുന്നു; അവർ യമദണ്ഡത്താൽ ദണ്ഡിക്കപ്പെടും.
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (speaker not identifiable from this single verse alone).
Concept: Willful disobedience to a dharmic command and inertia in the face of sacred opportunity lead to demerit and punitive karmic results.
Application: Do not postpone spiritual duties out of laziness or defiance; when a wholesome, dharmic opportunity arises, respond promptly and responsibly.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A stark split-scene: on one side, a few men linger in dim household interiors, turning away from the call to pilgrimage; on the other, the shadowy figure of Yama looms with a staff, embodying the inevitability of karmic consequence. The atmosphere is heavy, as if the very air judges the choice between sacred movement and stagnant refusal.","primary_figures":["Yama (Dharmarāja)","men who remain at home","messenger/minister (optional)"],"setting":"Contrasting spaces—dark domestic rooms with barred windows versus a symbolic, austere judgment-space with iron gates and a road leading away toward pilgrimage light.","lighting_mood":"dramatic chiaroscuro","color_palette":["charcoal black","blood red","ashen gray","dull bronze","cold blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dramatic moral tableau with Yama holding a staff, gold leaf used sparingly as ominous highlights on ornaments and the daṇḍa, deep reds and blacks, rigid symmetry, expressive faces showing fear and stubbornness, traditional iconography of Dharmarāja.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: narrative diptych—left panel dim household scene of refusal, right panel a stylized Yama figure in a dark court, delicate brushwork conveying tension, muted palette with sharp red accents, refined yet unsettling expressions.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines of Yama with characteristic large eyes, strong red/yellow/black contrasts, ornamental borders with flame-like motifs, simplified domestic figures in shadow, temple-wall austerity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: moral allegory framed by floral borders turned thorny, central dark figure of Yama contrasted with a distant luminous pilgrimage path, deep indigo ground with harsh vermillion accents, symbolic motifs (chains, staff) integrated into decorative patterning."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low drum","thunder rumble","stern bell strikes","ominous silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: मद्वाक्यमुल्लङ्घ्य = मद्वाक्यम् + उल्लङ्घ्य; पापिनोऽधर्महेतवः = पापिनः + अधर्महेतवः (visarga sandhi: oऽ).
FAQs
Yama is the lord of justice and the afterlife judge in Hindu tradition. “Yama’s rod” symbolizes lawful, karmic retribution—punishment that follows unethical action and disobedience.
The verse stresses obedience to rightful instruction and warns that willful transgression fosters adharma (unrighteousness) and leads to accountability and punishment.
No. It criticizes remaining at home specifically in defiance of an authoritative command in the narrative context, framing it as disobedience that contributes to adharma.