Shloka 17
The Duties and Conduct of the Graduate (Snātaka) and the Householder
कुर्वीतात्महितं नित्यं सर्वभूतानुकंपकः । वयसः कर्म्मणोऽर्थस्य श्रुतस्याभिजनस्य च
kurvītātmahitaṃ nityaṃ sarvabhūtānukaṃpakaḥ | vayasaḥ karmmaṇo'rthasya śrutasyābhijanasya ca
സകലഭൂതങ്ങളോടും കരുണ പുലർത്തി, നിത്യവും ആത്മഹിതകരമായത് ചെയ്യണം—വയസ്, കർമ്മം, ധനം, ശ്രുതി/വിദ്യ, കുലഗൗരവം എന്നിവയുടെ ഭേദം നോക്കാതെ.
Unspecified (context-dependent within Svargakhaṇḍa 54)
Concept: Pursue true self-benefit through constant compassion to all beings, not limited by age, status, wealth, learning, or lineage.
Application: Practice kindness without gatekeeping: help across social boundaries, avoid contempt based on class/education/wealth, and treat compassion as daily discipline (speech, consumption, charity, non-violence).
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A compassionate devotee moves through a bustling town street offering water to a thirsty traveler, grain to birds, and gentle care to a wounded animal—each act portrayed as luminous, as if the same inner light touches every being. Above, a faint Viṣṇu aura suggests that true ‘ātma-hita’ is found in mercy that mirrors the Lord’s sustaining nature.","primary_figures":["compassionate devotee","traveler","children","birds","wounded animal","Vishnu (subtle aura)"],"setting":"town street transitioning into a quiet grove with a small feeding platform and water pot","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["sunlit ochre","turquoise","soft white","forest green","royal blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central devotee with gold-leaf halo distributing alms and water, animals and birds gathered peacefully, Vishnu’s radiant presence above; rich reds/greens, ornate jewelry on vessels, embossed gold highlights on compassionate gestures and halos.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: narrative vignette with multiple small compassionate acts across the frame—feeding birds, tending an animal, helping a traveler—cool palette, delicate brushwork, lyrical trees and distant hills, refined expressions of tenderness.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines and stylized forms; devotee in the center with symmetrical groups of beings receiving care; strong reds/yellows/greens, blue Vishnu aura in upper panel, temple-wall compositional balance.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: compassion scene framed by lotus and floral borders; peacocks and cows included as recipients of kindness, deep blue ground with gold motifs, devotional emphasis that all beings gather under Krishna/Vishnu’s grace."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["gentle handbell","street ambience softened","cooing birds","wind in leaves","soft drone (tanpura)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: kurvīta + ātma-hitam → kurvītātmahitaṃ; karmaṇaḥ + arthasya → karmmaṇo'rthasya; śrutasya + abhijanasya → śrutasyābhijanasya
FAQs
It teaches that true self-welfare should be pursued consistently while maintaining compassion for all beings, without discrimination based on social or personal attributes.
These are common bases for pride or social hierarchy; the verse emphasizes that compassion and right conduct should not depend on any of them.
It frames Dharma as universal compassion combined with steady practice of what is genuinely beneficial—an inner ethical standard rather than a status-based one.