Shloka 16
The Account of Sukalā: Chastity Overcomes Kāma and an Indra-like Trial
यत्र मे तिष्ठते भर्त्ता तत्राहं पतिसंयुता । तत्र कामश्च मे प्रीतिरयं कायो निराश्रयः
yatra me tiṣṭhate bharttā tatrāhaṃ patisaṃyutā | tatra kāmaśca me prītirayaṃ kāyo nirāśrayaḥ
Di mana suamiku berada, di situlah aku—bersatu dengan tuanku. Di situlah hasrat dan kegembiraanku; selain itu, jasad ini tiada tempat bersandar.
Unspecified (a devoted wife speaking about her husband)
Concept: True refuge is found in steadfast commitment; separation from one’s chosen anchor renders life unmoored.
Application: Choose a worthy center (dharma, God, or a principled commitment) and align your life around it; avoid scattering your heart across unstable supports.
Primary Rasa: shringara
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devoted wife stands at a threshold, one hand on her heart, the other pointing toward the distant path where her husband has gone—declaring that her very self abides wherever he abides. The world around her feels momentarily empty, emphasizing her words: without him, the body is ‘without refuge.’","primary_figures":["devoted wife (patnī)","husband (seen departing or envisioned)"],"setting":"A quiet home courtyard opening to a road; a lone lamp, a tulip-shaped pillar base, and a faint horizon line suggesting distance and resolve.","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["silver moonlight","indigo","soft jasmine white","muted maroon","pale gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: the wife in richly patterned sari with gold leaf borders stands in a doorway; a small distant figure of the husband on the road; expressive eyes and poised hands; gold leaf highlights on ornaments and architectural motifs; deep maroon and emerald accents with a luminous halo-like backdrop.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: lyrical night courtyard with cool blues; the wife’s delicate profile and restrained gesture convey steadfastness; distant hills and a winding path; subtle shading and fine textile patterns; a quiet, poetic emptiness around her.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, large eyes brimming with resolve; the wife centered, the departing husband rendered iconically in the distance; warm ochre skin tones, red-yellow-green palette, stylized foliage bands and lamp motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic composition—wife near a lotus-bordered doorway, the path rendered as a flowing floral vine; deep indigo ground with gold lotuses; peacocks perched on parapets; intricate border patterns emphasizing devotion and constancy."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"emotional","sound_elements":["night insects","soft tanpura drone","single temple bell (occasional)","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तत्र+अहम्→तत्राहम् (अ+अ→आ); कामः+च→कामश्च (visarga→श् before च); प्रीतिः+अयम्→प्रीतिरयम् (visarga→र्).
FAQs
It presents the ideal of steadfast marital devotion: the wife’s sense of security, joy, and purpose is expressed as being grounded in union with her husband.
It conveys emotional and existential dependence in the speaker’s voice: without her husband’s presence, she feels unsupported—her body and life feel unanchored.
Both: ethically it praises fidelity and commitment; devotionally it uses the language of refuge and union that parallels bhakti-style dependence on the beloved.