Shloka 51
Narrative of the Śūdra’s Renunciation of Greed
with the Tulādhāra Greatness Prelude
सर्वे जिघांसवो मर्त्याः पशुमत्स्यविविष्किराः । तथा धनवतां नित्यं कथमर्थास्सुखावहाः
sarve jighāṃsavo martyāḥ paśumatsyaviviṣkirāḥ | tathā dhanavatāṃ nityaṃ kathamarthāssukhāvahāḥ
എല്ലാ മർത്ത്യരും ഹിംസാപ്രവണരാണ്—മൃഗങ്ങളെയും മീനുകളെയും പക്ഷികളെയും വധിക്കുന്നു. അങ്ങനെ ഇരിക്കെ, ധനമുള്ളവർക്ക് ധനം എങ്ങനെ നിത്യമായി സുഖാവഹമാകും?
Unspecified in the provided excerpt (context needed from surrounding verses; likely within a Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue typical of the Purāṇic framing).
Concept: A society driven by हिंसा (harm) cannot make artha a stable source of sukha; wealth often rides on exploitation and thus breeds insecurity and guilt.
Application: Audit one’s livelihood and consumption: reduce harm, choose ethical earning, practice compassion, and replace competitive craving with seva and contentment.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A moral tableau: hunters and fishermen in the far background cast nets and raise weapons, while in the foreground a thoughtful teacher points not to the violence itself but to the chain of desire that fuels it. The listener’s face shows dawning discomfort, as if realizing that ‘wealth’ is entangled with unseen suffering.","primary_figures":["teacher (rishi or moralist)","listener","hunters","fishermen","bird-catchers"],"setting":"Edge of a village market near a forest and riverbank—trade and killing implied by tools, nets, and stalls","lighting_mood":"overcast twilight","color_palette":["smoky umber","river jade","iron grey","muted saffron","bone white"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central rishi with gold halo admonishing a householder, background panels showing stylized hunters and fishermen, gold-leaf accents on nets and weapons to symbolize seductive artha, rich maroon-green textiles, ornate borders, moral allegory composition.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: gentle yet piercing scene with small vignettes of hunting and fishing along a winding river, teacher and listener in the foreground under a tree, cool subdued palette, delicate brushwork emphasizing ethical tension rather than gore.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: symbolic depiction—figures of hunter/fisher/bird-catcher arranged in a circular mandala around a pot of coins, rishi pointing to the circle of हिंसा, bold outlines, earthy reds and yellows, temple-wall narrative clarity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: narrative border of small scenes of nets and traps contrasted with central devotional space left intentionally calm, lotus motifs framing the moral warning, deep indigo base with gold and white detailing, intricate floral borders suggesting the choice between हिंसा and bhक्ति."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["distant market murmur","river flow","crows calling","sudden hush after ‘कथम्’"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पशु+मत्स्य+विविष्किराः इति समाहारः; पाठे ‘पशुमत्स्यविविष्किराः’ इति त्रिपद-समाससदृश-समुच्चयः (असमासेऽपि समासवत् लेखनम्). अर्थाः + सुखावहाः → अर्थास्सुखावहाः (विसर्गसन्धि: आः + स → आस्स).
FAQs
It questions the idea that wealth reliably brings happiness, pointing out that human life is often entangled with harm and violence (toward animals, fish, and birds), which undermines lasting peace.
It highlights an ethical tension: material gain frequently depends on or coexists with injury to other beings, suggesting that true well-being aligns better with restraint, compassion, and dharmic living than with mere accumulation.
It strongly supports vairāgya (dispassion) by challenging the permanence of pleasure derived from possessions; it implies that inner contentment is more stable than happiness tied to wealth.