Shloka 31
Praise of Digging Wells and Building Water-Reservoirs
The Merit of Water-Works
ह्रिया च पीडितः सोपि वाक्यमेतदुवाच ह । सत्यमेतद्वचोस्माकं परीक्षां कुरु धर्मतः
hriyā ca pīḍitaḥ sopi vākyametaduvāca ha | satyametadvacosmākaṃ parīkṣāṃ kuru dharmataḥ
ലജ്ജയാൽ പീഡിതനായ അവനും ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞു— “ഞങ്ങളുടെ വാക്ക് സത്യം; ധർമ്മപ്രകാരം ഞങ്ങളെ പരീക്ഷിക്കൂ।”
Unspecified speaker (a male participant in the dialogue of Adhyaya 57)
Concept: Truth should be verified through dharmic procedure, not through impulse or bias; moral testing is superior to mere accusation.
Application: When criticized, respond without aggression: invite transparent verification, accept accountability, and let ethical process decide.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A tense assembly pauses as a young man, cheeks lowered in shame, folds his hands and asks for a dharmic test. Elders and witnesses sit in a semicircle, their faces stern yet attentive, as the air feels heavy with moral consequence.","primary_figures":["a shamed speaker (young man)","elders/witnesses","a dharmic adjudicator (sage-like figure)"],"setting":"public courtyard or sabhā-like hall with ritual cleanliness, low seats, palm-leaf records, and a small lamp of judgment","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["smoked amber","sandalwood beige","deep maroon","lamp-gold","ash gray"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a sabhā scene with the shamed youth in añjali-mudrā before seated elders, ornate pillars and archways, gold leaf highlighting the lamp flame and jewelry, rich maroons and emerald borders, traditional South Indian court-temple fusion iconography.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate council scene with delicate faces and downcast eyes, cool muted palette, fine linework on garments, a quiet courtyard with a small oil lamp, distant trees and pale sky suggesting moral stillness.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, expressive wide eyes of witnesses, the youth in humble posture, warm red-yellow-green pigments, stylized lamp and floral motifs framing the ethical confrontation.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a moral-assembly tableau framed by lotus and vine borders, central lamp as symbol of dharma, intricate textile patterns on garments, deep indigo background with gold detailing, peacocks at the border as silent witnesses."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low temple bell","hushed crowd","oil-lamp crackle","brief silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: sopi = saḥ + api; vākyametat = vākyam + etat; etaduvāca = etat + uvāca; satyametad = satyam + etat; etadvacosmākam = etat + vacaḥ + asmākam (visarga sandhi: vacaḥ + a → voca/vo’ type; here written vacos-).
FAQs
It stresses that claims should be validated through a righteous, dharma-aligned examination, and that truth (satya) stands up to fair testing.
Hrī indicates moral sensitivity and self-awareness; the speaker’s shame frames the statement as a conscientious appeal to be judged fairly rather than evasively.
Not directly; it primarily conveys an ethical stance—truthfulness and willingness to be examined according to dharma—within the narrative dialogue.