Shloka 37
Prologue to the Suvrata Narrative: Revā (Narmadā) and Vāmana-tīrtha; Greed, Anxiety, and the Ethics of Trust
यथा येन प्रदत्तं स्यान्न्यासस्य हरणात्पुरा । दुःखमेव महाभाग दारुणं प्राणनाशनम्
yathā yena pradattaṃ syānnyāsasya haraṇātpurā | duḥkhameva mahābhāga dāruṇaṃ prāṇanāśanam
Wahai yang mulia, jika n’yāsa (amanah titipan) yang diletakkan oleh seseorang diambil dari tempatnya, akibatnya hanyalah derita—derita yang dahsyat hingga boleh memusnahkan nyawa.
Unspecified (context needed to confirm the dialogue frame in Bhūmi-khaṇḍa 11)
Concept: Stealing or misappropriating a nyāsa (deposit/trust) is a severe adharma that yields intense duḥkha, potentially life-destroying—karmically and socially.
Application: Never misuse entrusted funds, confidential information, or responsibilities; keep clear accounts; return deposits promptly; treat trust as sacred.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A solemn scene of a sealed cloth bundle placed in a niche—marked as a deposit—while a shadowy figure reaches to steal it. In the background, the depositor’s family collapses into grief, and above them a stern, unseen karmic presence is suggested by dark clouds and a faint wheel of justice.","primary_figures":["depositor (trusting householder)","thief/embezzler","grieving family","symbolic Dharma (optional personification)"],"setting":"a village home storeroom with a wall niche and a marked deposit bundle; outside, a dusty lane where consequences unfold","lighting_mood":"dramatic chiaroscuro","color_palette":["smoky charcoal","blood maroon","muted bronze","ashen grey","cold blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a dramatic moral tableau—an entrusted bundle in a niche with sacred markings, a deceitful figure stealing it, the depositor lamenting, gold leaf used sparingly to highlight the ‘seal of trust’ and a symbolic Dharma-emblem, rich reds and deep greens, ornate borders emphasizing moral gravity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate interior with delicate brushwork—deposit bundle, stealthy hand, shocked faces, cool nocturnal palette, refined expressions of betrayal, minimal architecture, lyrical yet tense composition.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, expressive eyes—Dharma as a stern figure in the upper register, below a thief taking the nyāsa and the victim’s anguish, red/yellow/green palette with darkened background bands to heighten severity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: allegorical composition with a central ‘bundle of trust’ framed by lotus borders, dark swirling motifs representing greed, gold accents as karmic inevitability, symmetrical layout turning a social crime into a cosmic moral lesson."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low drum pulse","distant thunder","sharp temple bell strike","sudden silence after key words"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स्यात् + न्यासस्य → स्यान्न्यासस्य; हरणात् + पुरा → हरणात्पुरा; दुःखम् + एव → दुःखमेव
FAQs
Nyāsa here means a deposit or entrusted property—something placed in another’s care for safekeeping; taking it is treated as a grave ethical breach.
It warns that betraying trust—especially by stealing what was entrusted—leads to severe suffering, emphasizing fidelity, honesty, and protection of others’ property.
It describes the consequence in moral-spiritual terms: intense, dreadful suffering that may become “life-destroying,” without detailing a specific legal punishment in this line.