Shloka 50
Prohibitions and Rules of Right Conduct (Ācāra): Theft, Speech, Purity, Residence, and Social Boundaries
न लंघयेच्च मतिमान्नाधितिष्ठेत्कदाचन । न शूद्राय मतिं दद्यात्कृसरं पायसं दधि
na laṃghayecca matimānnādhitiṣṭhetkadācana | na śūdrāya matiṃ dadyātkṛsaraṃ pāyasaṃ dadhi
വിവേകിയൻ ധർമ്മമര്യാദ ലംഘിക്കരുത്; ഒരിക്കലും അഹങ്കാരത്തോടെ പെരുമാറരുത്. ശൂദ്രനു ഉപദേശം നൽകരുത്; കൃസരം, പായസം, ദധി എന്നിവയും അവനു നൽകരുത്.
Unspecified (general dharma-instruction within Svarga-khaṇḍa narrative context)
Concept: Maintain proper conduct and humility; regulate the transmission of counsel and certain ritual foods according to prescribed social codes.
Application: Read as a historical dharma-code: cultivate humility and avoid arrogance; in modern application, preserve the ethical core (non-arrogance, careful speech) while critically contextualizing exclusionary prescriptions as time-bound smṛti norms.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Inside a lamp-lit courtyard, a learned elder sits on a low wooden seat, palm-leaf manuscript beside him, gesturing calmly as he instructs a young student in humility. In the background, a kitchen hearth glows; bowls of kṛsara, pāyasa, and curd are covered with cloth, symbolizing regulated giving and ritual food boundaries.","primary_figures":["a learned brāhmaṇa elder","a young student (śiṣya)","household attendants (background silhouettes)"],"setting":"traditional courtyard with tulasi-vṛndāvana, manuscript stand, and a small shrine niche","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["lamp-gold","deep maroon","leafy green","smoke gray","ivory"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a dignified elder-teacher seated near a tulasi-vṛndāvana and a small Viṣṇu shrine, instructing a student with a raised hand of restraint; covered bowls of ritual foods near a glowing hearth; heavy gold leaf on shrine arch, rich reds/greens, ornate jewelry minimal but stylized, traditional South Indian domestic sacred space.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate courtyard lesson with delicate lines; teacher and student in calm dialogue, manuscript and covered food bowls rendered with fine detail; cool shadows, soft lamp glow, refined faces, floral borders and a distant temple roofline.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, flat pigments; teacher’s gesture of ‘do not transgress’ emphasized, tulasi-vṛndāvana central as a green-red motif; warm lamp aura, stylized hearth flames, symmetrical composition like a temple wall panel.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: courtyard framed by ornate floral borders; central teacher-student pair, tulasi pot and small Viṣṇu icon; patterned textiles, deep blues and gold accents, peacocks perched on parapet, symbolic covered offerings arranged geometrically."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"authoritative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["temple bells (soft)","crackling hearth","low drone (tanpura)","courtyard birds","brief pauses for emphasis"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: laṃghayet+ca → laṃghayecca; matimān+na → matimānna; na+adhitiṣṭhet+kadācana → nādhitiṣṭhetkadācana; dadyāt+kṛsaram → dadyātkṛsaram.
FAQs
It stresses self-restraint: a wise person should not overstep righteous boundaries and should avoid arrogance or domineering behavior.
Yes. The verse includes a social restriction involving the term “Śūdra,” reflecting a prescriptive norm found in some Dharma-style passages; modern readers often study such lines as historical-textual evidence rather than universal ethics.
The verse names kṛsara (a rice-and-pulse preparation), pāyasa (sweet milk-rice), and dadhi (curd), treating them as specific items involved in the stated injunction.