Shloka 17
The Greatness of the Viṣṇu-pañcaka
Five-Day Kārttika Observance
पुरा त्रेतायुगे शूद्रो दस्युवृत्तिपरायणः । नाम्ना दंडकरो नित्यं धर्मनिंदां करोति यः
purā tretāyuge śūdro dasyuvṛttiparāyaṇaḥ | nāmnā daṃḍakaro nityaṃ dharmaniṃdāṃ karoti yaḥ
Pada zaman Tretā-yuga dahulu, ada seorang Śūdra yang tekun menuruti jalan perompakan. Namanya Daṇḍakara, dan dia sentiasa mencela dharma.
Unspecified narrator (contextual speaker not provided in the single-verse input)
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Sandhi Resolution Notes: त्रेतायुगे = त्रेता + युगे (समास); धर्मनिंदां = धर्म + निन्दाम् (समास).
FAQs
Daṇḍakara is described as a man (a Śūdra by social designation) in the Tretā-yuga who lives by bandit-like conduct and habitually criticizes dharma.
The verse frames “reviling dharma” (dharma-nindā) and predatory livelihood as signs of adharma, setting up a moral contrast for the narrative that follows.
It implies living by the conduct of a dasyu—robbery, violence, or predation—used in Purāṇic literature to mark a life opposed to social and spiritual order (dharma).