Shloka 47
The Supremacy of Food-Charity and the Rāma–Śambūka Episode
Child Revived through Rājadharma
एवं निरंतरं जुष्टमुद्भूतमनृतं पुनः । अधर्मस्य त्रयः पादा एको धर्मस्य चागतः
evaṃ niraṃtaraṃ juṣṭamudbhūtamanṛtaṃ punaḥ | adharmasya trayaḥ pādā eko dharmasya cāgataḥ
ഇങ്ങനെ അസത്യം നിരന്തരം ആസ്വദിക്കപ്പെട്ടു വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും ഉദ്ഭവിച്ചു; അധർമ്മം മൂന്നു പാദങ്ങളിൽ നിലകൊണ്ടു, ധർമ്മത്തിന് ഒരു പാദം മാത്രമേ ശേഷിച്ചുള്ളൂ.
Unspecified (narratorial voice within the chapter context)
Concept: When untruth is repeatedly indulged, adharma becomes dominant (three quarters), leaving dharma diminished (one quarter).
Application: Audit speech and intention daily: reduce exaggeration, gossip, and self-deception; choose one concrete satya-practice (truthful promise-keeping) to strengthen dharma’s ‘foot’ in one’s life.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Personified Dharma appears as a white bull with only one sturdy leg standing on cracked earth, while three dark, smoky pillars labeled ‘anṛta’ loom behind, feeding a shadowy figure of Adharma. In the distance, a small lamp of truth burns steadily in a devotee’s hands, suggesting the remaining quarter of dharma.","primary_figures":["Dharma (as bull)","Adharma (shadow personification)","a lone truth-keeper devotee (symbolic)"],"setting":"A symbolic moral landscape—cracked ground, fading sacrificial fires, and a distant horizon where light struggles against encroaching dusk.","lighting_mood":"storm-lit twilight","color_palette":["chalk white","charcoal black","deep maroon","dull gold","midnight blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central Dharma-bull with ornate gold leaf halo and embossed borders; three darkened panels behind representing anṛta; a small golden lamp in the foreground; rich reds and greens contrasted with blackened clouds, gem-like highlights on the lamp and halo.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate rendering of a white bull on fractured earth, subtle gradations of dusk sky; a small figure holding a lamp; restrained palette with lyrical melancholy, fine linework and atmospheric distance.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: iconic Dharma-bull with bold outlines, dramatic eye shapes; background split into light and dark zones; stylized cloud bands and symbolic motifs; strong reds/yellows/greens with black accents for adharma.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Dharma-bull centered within a lotus mandala, borders filled with repeating lamp motifs; deep indigo field with gold floral tracery; adharma as dark vine patterns encircling but not extinguishing the central lamp."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["low temple drum","distant thunder","single bell strike at key phrase","brief silence after ‘eko dharmasya’"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: जुष्टमुद्भूतमनृतम् = जुष्टम् + उद्भूतम् + अनृतम्; धर्मस्य चागतः = धर्मस्य + च + आगतः.
FAQs
It is a moral metaphor: as untruth becomes habitual, adharma gains stability and dominance, while dharma is reduced and weakened—suggesting an age of ethical decline.
It aligns with the broader Purāṇic motif of dharma gradually losing its 'legs' across ages, but this verse itself focuses on the causal role of repeated falsehood rather than naming a yuga explicitly.
Repeatedly choosing untruth normalizes it; over time it strengthens unrighteous conduct in society and diminishes the standing of righteousness. The verse warns that habits shape moral realities.