Shloka 16
तत्र ते पुरुषाः श्वेतास्तेजोयुक्तमहाबलाः । स्त्रियः कुमुदवर्णाश्च सुंदर्यः प्रियदर्शनाः
tatra te puruṣāḥ śvetāstejoyuktamahābalāḥ | striyaḥ kumudavarṇāśca suṃdaryaḥ priyadarśanāḥ
അവിടെ പുരുഷന്മാർ ശ്വേതദീപ്തിയോടെ, തേജസ്സും മഹാബലവും ഉള്ളവരായിരുന്നു; സ്ത്രീകൾ കുമുദപുഷ്പവർണ്ണമുള്ളവർ, സുന്ദരികൾ, പ്രിയദർശിനികൾ ആയിരുന്നു.
Unspecified narrator (contextual description within Svargakhaṇḍa narrative)
Concept: Subtle purity and splendor are portrayed as fruits of merit; beauty here functions as a moral-aesthetic sign of sattva and punya.
Application: Cultivate sattvic habits (truthfulness, restraint, charity, worship) without vanity; treat outer refinement as a byproduct of inner discipline, not the aim.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shringara
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A celestial promenade in Svarga where radiant-white men, gleaming with inner tejas, stand like living moonstone. Beside them, lotus-pale women with gentle smiles move through perfumed air, their garments shimmering like mist over a lake of white lotuses.","primary_figures":["celestial men (svargīya puruṣāḥ)","celestial women (apsaras-like figures)"],"setting":"Heavenly garden terrace with white lotus ponds, crystal steps, and flowering pārijāta trees; distant jeweled pavilions.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["moonstone white","lotus ivory","pearl silver","pale aquamarine","soft gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a Svarga garden tableau with radiant-white celestial men and lotus-white women, ornate gold-leaf halos and borders, rich vermilion and emerald accents in textiles, gem-studded jewelry, stylized lotus pond and pārijāta trees, symmetrical composition with temple-like pavilion architecture.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate celestial garden scene with cool whites and silvers, lyrical lotus pond, refined faces and almond eyes, translucent veils, gentle gestures, distant hills rendered as ethereal clouds, fine linework and soft shading emphasizing serenity and grace.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and flat natural pigments depicting luminous celestial figures in a heavenly courtyard, large expressive eyes, patterned garments, lotus motifs, warm yellow and red detailing against dominant whites and pale blues, temple-wall aesthetic with decorative borders.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: lotus-dense celestial pond with intricate floral borders, pearl-white figures arranged in rhythmic symmetry, deep indigo background to heighten radiance, gold detailing on ornaments, peacocks and stylized lotuses framing the scene in Nathdwara-inspired ornamentation."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft temple bells","gentle drone (tanpura)","distant celestial flute","light wind through leaves","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: श्वेतास्तेजोयुक्तमहाबलाः → श्वेताः तेजःयुक्तमहाबलाः. कुमुदवर्णाश्च → कुमुदवर्णाः च.
FAQs
It depicts the appearance of celestial men and women—men as radiant-white and powerful, and women as lotus-white, beautiful, and pleasing to see.
“Tejoyukta” indicates beings endowed with spiritual/celestial radiance—an inner splendor characteristic of heavenly realms rather than merely physical brightness.
It functions as a poetic epithet: literally “lotus-colored (white lotus),” and symbolically suggesting purity, freshness, and auspicious beauty associated with lotus imagery in Sanskrit literature.