Shloka 28
Right Conduct, Offenses Against Brāhmaṇas, Truthfulness, and the Greatness of the Cow
Go-Māhātmya
ततो भिषक्प्रयोगे च पापात्पुण्यं पलायते । अपुण्याज्जलरेखेव तेनैव निधनं व्रजेत्
tato bhiṣakprayoge ca pāpātpuṇyaṃ palāyate | apuṇyājjalarekheva tenaiva nidhanaṃ vrajet
പിന്നീട് പാപാവസ്ഥയിൽ വൈദ്യചികിത്സയെ ആശ്രയിച്ചാലും ആ പാപം മൂലം പുണ്യം ഒഴിഞ്ഞുപോകുന്നു; അപുണ്യം വെള്ളത്തിൽ വരച്ച രേഖപോലെ മായ்ந்து, അതിനാലേ തന്നെ നാശം വരുന്നു।
Unspecified (narrative voice; chapter-context speaker not provided in the input)
Concept: Puṇya is subtle and can be quickly destroyed by pāpa; seeking remedies while persisting in sin leads to spiritual ruin.
Application: Treat wrongdoing at its root: confess, desist, and adopt sattvic conduct; don’t use ‘solutions’ that ignore ethical causes.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A remorseful householder stands at a crossroads: one path leads to a physician’s hut with herbs and instruments, the other to a small Viṣṇu shrine with a lamp and tulasī. Above his head, a luminous ‘puṇya’ aura evaporates like a thin line drawn on rippling water, while shadowy forms of pāpa tug at his feet toward a dark ravine.","primary_figures":["a conflicted householder","a village physician (bhisak)","Viṣṇu (as a small shrine icon)","personified Puṇya and Pāpa (allegorical)"],"setting":"riverbank near a village, with a simple clinic on one side and a modest Vaishnava shrine with tulasī on the other","lighting_mood":"twilight moral chiaroscuro","color_palette":["indigo dusk","lamp-gold","ash gray","lotus pink","deep emerald"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a central Vaishnava shrine with Viṣṇu icon and tulasī in a brass pot, gold leaf halo radiating; to the side a physician holding a palm-leaf text and herbal bowl; the householder in rich red-green garments, with gem-studded ornaments; a shimmering gold-leaf ‘water line’ motif dissolving into the river, symbolic Puṇya fading, ornate temple lamp-lit ambience.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: lyrical riverbank scene at dusk, delicate brushwork showing a thin water-line dissolving on ripples; a humble clinic hut and a small Viṣṇu shrine framed by trees; refined faces conveying anxiety and resolve, cool blues and greens with a warm lamp glow, distant hills soft in mist.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, earthy pigments; allegorical Puṇya as a pale-gold figure fading into stylized water waves, Pāpa as dark-red shadow forms; Viṣṇu shrine with lamp and tulasī rendered in temple-wall aesthetic, large expressive eyes, dramatic twilight palette.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Vaishnava devotional composition with a central shrine and tulasī, ornate floral borders; symbolic rippling water band across the lower panel where a gold ‘line’ breaks apart; peacocks perched near the shrine, deep blue background with gold highlights, narrative vignettes of clinic vs devotion."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low temple bell","soft conch in distance","river water","brief silence after the simile"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: भिषक्प्रयोगे = भिषक् + प्रयोगे; पापात्पुण्यम् = पापात् + पुण्यम्; अपुण्याज्जलरेखा = अपुण्यात् + जलरेखा; तेनैव = तेन + एव.
FAQs
No. It criticizes seeking remedies while remaining rooted in sinful conduct; the point is that demerit erodes merit, making one’s efforts fruitless.
Merit is depicted as unstable when undermined by wrongdoing—like a water-line that cannot remain; it disappears immediately.
One should remove the underlying sinful cause and cultivate dharma; otherwise, even beneficial actions become ineffective and lead to downfall.