Shloka 21
Dialogue with the Parrot-Sage: Lineage, Ignorance, and the Vow of Learning
यत्र वै ताडनं नित्यं भ्रूभंगादि च क्रोशनम् । अन्नं न दृश्यते तत्र कर्मणा शृणुसत्तम
yatra vai tāḍanaṃ nityaṃ bhrūbhaṃgādi ca krośanam | annaṃ na dṛśyate tatra karmaṇā śṛṇusattama
Di tempat yang sentiasa ada pukulan, herdikan dengan dahi berkerut serta jeritan, di sana makanan pun tidak kelihatan—dengarlah, wahai yang terbaik antara orang berbudi, beginilah berjalannya karma.
Unknown (context not provided; likely within a Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue in Bhūmi-khaṇḍa)
Concept: Where cruelty and constant anger prevail, even basic sustenance disappears; karma manifests socially as scarcity and suffering in environments ruled by adharma.
Application: Do not create ‘violent spaces’ at home/work; anger and humiliation corrode prosperity and trust—practice gentle speech, fair correction, and gratitude before meals.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Inside a grim gurukula hall, a stern teacher’s raised stick casts a long shadow while frightened students huddle. The air feels dry and empty: overturned grain bowls, a bare hearth, and faces marked by frowns and shouted reprimands—karma depicted as visible scarcity.","primary_figures":["stern teacher (adharmic caricature)","students/children","narrator-figure (observer)"],"setting":"austere classroom/hut interior with empty food vessels and a cold cooking fire","lighting_mood":"low, smoky interior with sharp shadow","color_palette":["charcoal black","burnt umber","ashen white","dull saffron","iron gray"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dramatic interior with the teacher’s figure emphasized, gold leaf used ironically on the stick’s glint and on a neglected altar corner; rich maroon background, heavy ornamental frame, expressive faces with stylized frowns, empty brass vessels rendered with metallic sheen.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: tight indoor composition, delicate linework showing tense eyebrows and open mouths mid-shout; subdued palette, sparse props (empty bowls, thin mats), a small window with pale light, psychological realism in the children’s posture.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, exaggerated eyes showing fear and anger; earthy reds and yellows with green accents, rhythmic repetition of frowning faces, symbolic emptiness of food vessels near the foreground.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: moral allegory framed by floral borders; central scene of harsh discipline contrasted with a small side-panel of a sattvic meal offering to Vishnu (as a visual counter-teaching), deep indigo border, gold highlights on vessels and textiles."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["sharp hand-clap accents","wooden staff tap","tense silence after key words"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शृणुसत्तम = शृणु + सत्तम.
FAQs
It teaches that habitual violence and harsh, angry speech destroy prosperity and basic well-being—food and sustenance disappear as a karmic consequence.
It links inner hostility and abusive conduct to outer deprivation, presenting scarcity as the fruit of negative karma produced by ongoing aggression and discord.
Maintain non-violence and restraint in speech and behavior; a peaceful, respectful environment supports stability and prosperity, while cruelty and constant conflict undermine it.