Shloka 37
The Account of Women
Householder Ethics, Fault, Merit, and Govinda-Nāma as Purification
रामां विन्यस्य स्कंधे च चिरं यमपुरे वसेत् । मलमूत्रं शिरोदेशे नित्यं तस्य च संपतेत्
rāmāṃ vinyasya skaṃdhe ca ciraṃ yamapure vaset | malamūtraṃ śirodeśe nityaṃ tasya ca saṃpatet
രാമയെ തോളിൽ ചുമന്ന് അവൻ ദീർഘകാലം യമപുരിയിൽ വസിക്കും; അവന്റെ തലമേൽ നിത്യം മലമൂത്രം വീഴുകയും ചെയ്യും.
Unspecified (narrative voice within Padma Purāṇa, Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa)
Concept: Wronging a woman leads to prolonged residence in Yama’s realm and degrading punishments; karmic justice is both retributive and pedagogical.
Application: Let consequences deter cruelty; cultivate respect and protection; replace fear-based restraint with compassion-based ethics through devotional practice.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"In the grim avenues of Yamapura, a condemned man staggers under the weight of a woman seated upon his shoulder—an allegory of the burden of wrongdoing—while Yama’s attendants watch with impassive faces. Above him, a relentless rain of filth falls like a dark parody of monsoon, turning punishment into public humiliation under the cold gaze of cosmic law.","primary_figures":["Yama","Yama-dūtas","Condemned man (symbolic)","Rāmā (woman figure, symbolic of the wronged woman)"],"setting":"Yamapura: iron gates, dark stone streets, judgment hall silhouettes, punitive courtyard.","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["pitch black","cold silver","mud brown","sickly green","rust red"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Yama enthroned with gold leaf halo and ornate crown, attendants flanking; foreground shows the condemned bearing the woman on his shoulder as allegory; use rich reds and blacks with gold embellishment, stylized but intense, avoiding gore while conveying humiliation.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: nocturnal Yamapura scene with cool silvers and deep blues, delicate yet haunting expressions; punishment shown symbolically (burden posture, falling dark droplets) with refined linework and minimal grotesquerie.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: Yama with bold outlines and iconic posture, attendants in rhythmic arrangement; the punished figure rendered in stylized form, dark rain motif as patterned dots; strong reds/ochres/greens with black dominance for severity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: allegorical underworld framed by ornate borders; Yama as central medallion figure, punishment vignette below; deep indigo ground with gold motifs, stylized rain pattern, devotional narrative framing despite dark theme."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low drum pulse","metallic chain rattle (subtle)","distant conch muted","heavy silence between pādas"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: मलमूत्रं (द्वन्द्व-समास) = मल + मूत्र; शिरोदेशे = शिरस् + देशे (शिरस् → शिरो-); तस्य च संपतेत् = तस्य + च + सम्पतेत्
FAQs
Yamapura refers to the city/realm of Yama, the lord of justice and the afterlife, where beings experience consequences of their actions.
Purāṇic passages often use vivid imagery to underscore moral causality (karma) and to discourage harmful or unethical conduct by showing its consequences.
Actions have consequences: the verse functions as a warning that degrading or wrongful behavior can lead to prolonged suffering, urging restraint and righteous conduct.