Shloka 88
The Glory of Śrāddha at Sacred Fords and the Determination of the Kutapa Time
रुक्मं दर्भास्तिला गावो दौहित्रश्चाष्टमः स्मृतः । पापं कुत्सितमित्याहुस्तस्य तत्तापकारिणः
rukmaṃ darbhāstilā gāvo dauhitraścāṣṭamaḥ smṛtaḥ | pāpaṃ kutsitamityāhustasya tattāpakāriṇaḥ
Emas, rumput darbha, biji bijan, lembu, dan anak lelaki kepada puteri (cucu sebelah puteri) diingati sebagai yang kelapan. Dosa disebut ‘kutsita’ (hina), kerana ia menimbulkan kepanasan azab yang sepadan dengannya.
Unspecified (narratorial/teaching voice within the Adhyaya context)
Concept: Sin is intrinsically degrading (kutsita) because it ripens into corresponding suffering; therefore one should align with purifying supports and righteous conduct.
Application: Treat harmful actions as self-harming seeds; choose daily ‘purifiers’—truthfulness, restraint, charity, and reverent remembrance—so consequences do not mature into torment.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A quiet riverbank altar is arranged with a small golden vessel, darbha grass, black sesame, and a gentle cow nearby. A householder, solemn and focused, contemplates the weight of karma as faint shadow-forms of suffering dissolve behind him, replaced by a calm, purifying glow.","primary_figures":["a gṛhastha (householder) performing śrāddha","pitṛs (ancestral presences, subtle)","a sacred cow"],"setting":"riverbank śrāddha-sthala with a low earthen altar, darbha bundles, sesame bowl, and a small gold pot; distant trees and a simple village horizon","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["river-silver","sesame black","darbha green","gold leaf","earth-ochre"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a riverbank śrāddha scene with the householder holding darbha and offering tila-water, a radiant gold vessel and halo-like aureole around the ritual space, rich reds and greens in garments, heavy gold leaf embellishment on the pot and borders, gem-studded ornaments on the cow’s harness, traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate riverbank with soft ripples, slender darbha tufts, a calm cow under a flowering tree, the householder in simple white, subtle translucent pitṛ-forms in the sky, cool natural palette with lyrical realism and refined facial features, distant hills and mist.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, flat yet vibrant natural pigments, the ritualist with large expressive eyes holding darbha, stylized cow and river, red-yellow-green dominant palette, temple-wall aesthetic with ornamental borders and a calm, didactic mood.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Vishnu-centered auspicious framing—lotus borders and floral vines around a central śrāddha altar, cows and peacocks at the margins, deep indigo river band, gold highlights on the ritual vessels, intricate sesame and darbha motifs woven into the border patterns, Nathdwara-inspired ornamentation."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["flowing water","soft temple bells","distant conch shell","morning birds","ritual silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दौहित्रश्चाष्टमः = दौहित्रः + च + अष्टमः; इत्याहुः = इति + आहुः (इति + आ → इत्या); तत्तापकारिणः = तत् + तापकारिणः (तत् + ता → तत्ता)
FAQs
The verse lists gold, darbha grass, sesame seeds, cows, and a daughter’s son as part of a remembered set (with the grandson noted as the ‘eighth’). Such lists commonly appear in Dharma-oriented passages to indicate auspicious or socially significant elements connected with ritual, gifting, lineage, and merit.
It calls sin ‘kutsita’ (base or contemptible) and states that sin produces its own corresponding torment—an explicit karmic principle that harmful actions ripen into suffering.
The ethical lesson is accountability: actions have consequences. Since sin leads to matching suffering, one should avoid unethical conduct and cultivate meritorious acts aligned with dharma.