Shloka 18
Teaching of Karma-yoga
Student Conduct, Vedic Study, and Gāyatrī Supremacy
आतर्जनं परीवादं स्त्रीप्रेक्षालंभनं तथा । परोपघातं पैशुन्यं प्रयत्नेन विवर्जयेत्
ātarjanaṃ parīvādaṃ strīprekṣālaṃbhanaṃ tathā | paropaghātaṃ paiśunyaṃ prayatnena vivarjayet
ഭീഷണിപ്പെടുത്തൽ, പരനിന്ദ, സ്ത്രീകളെ കാമദൃഷ്ടിയോടെ നോക്കലും ഉപദ്രവിക്കലും; മറ്റുള്ളവർക്കു ഹാനി വരുത്തൽ, പൈശുന്യം—ഇവയെല്ലാം പരിശ്രമത്തോടെ ഒഴിവാക്കണം।
Unspecified (didactic injunction within the Svargakhaṇḍa narrative context)
Concept: Avoid intimidation, slander, harassment of women, harming others, and malicious gossip—these destroy merit and spiritual eligibility.
Application: Adopt nonviolent communication; refuse gossip; practice respectful gaze and boundaries; actively protect others from harm; cultivate accountability in speech.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A teacher-sage raises a palm in a gesture of prohibition while shadowy figures representing slander and intimidation dissolve behind him. In the foreground, women and vulnerable travelers are shown protected within a circle of light, while the sage’s calm gaze anchors the scene in moral clarity.","primary_figures":["Dharma-upadeśaka muni","symbolic figures of Paiśunya (gossip) and Parīvāda (slander)","women/travelers under protection"],"setting":"Pilgrimage road near a small wayside shrine; a banyan tree and resting platform (caṭṭā) suggest public ethics","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["pure white","protective gold","shadow violet","earth umber","turmeric yellow"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a sage instructing ‘vर्जयेत्’ with raised hand, protecting women and pilgrims; gold leaf aura around the sage and shrine, rich reds and greens, embossed gold borders; negative forces of slander and intimidation depicted as dark, fading figures at the margins.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a roadside dharma discourse under a banyan; delicate depiction of respectful distance and protected space for women; slanderers painted as faint whispering silhouettes; cool natural palette, lyrical trees, refined faces and gestures.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: central sage with bold outlines and commanding mudrā; stylized dark motifs for gossip and harm pushed to the periphery; warm red-yellow-green pigments, temple-wall aesthetic, symmetrical moral tableau.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central protective circle of light around devotees; border filled with lotus motifs symbolizing purity; vignettes of ‘avoid gossip, avoid harm’ rendered as decorative narrative panels; deep blue and gold with intricate floral frames."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["firm bell strikes","conch shell (brief)","wind through banyan leaves","murmurs fading to silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: No major external sandhi; compounds: स्त्रीप्रेक्षालम्भनम्, परोपघातम्.
FAQs
It lists intimidation, slander, lustful staring and harassment of women, harming others, and malicious gossip intended to create discord.
It presents practical sadācāra (right conduct) as dharma—restraint in speech, non-violence in action, and purity of intention toward others.
Dharma requires disciplined self-control: avoid speech that injures, actions that harm, and attitudes that objectify or exploit—especially toward women and the vulnerable.