Shloka 112
Rāma’s Meeting with Agastya: Gift-Ethics (Dāna) and the Tale of King Śveta
पूर्णं वर्षशतं चाद्य भोजनं कुत्सितं च मे । क्षयं नाभ्येति तद्विप्र तृप्तिश्चापि ममोत्तमा
pūrṇaṃ varṣaśataṃ cādya bhojanaṃ kutsitaṃ ca me | kṣayaṃ nābhyeti tadvipra tṛptiścāpi mamottamā
Wahai vipra (brahmana), bahkan kini bekalan makananku yang rendah dan tidak suci itu tidak berkurang selama seratus tahun penuh, dan rasa kenyangku juga amat utama.
Unspecified (context needed from surrounding verses to identify the speaker reliably)
Concept: Material continuity (undiminished supply, bodily endurance) is not proof of spiritual purity; karmic boons can sustain even flawed habits.
Application: Do not mistake comfort for correctness; evaluate habits by their purity and their effect on clarity, compassion, and devotion.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A figure sits beside a seemingly inexhaustible store of coarse, dark food—piled in earthen jars that never empty—while his face shows a troubling contentment. A brāhmaṇa stands nearby, staff in hand, listening with concern as the air shimmers with the uncanny sign of a boon gone morally awry.","primary_figures":["the speaker with inexhaustible food","a brāhmaṇa interlocutor (vipra)"],"setting":"edge of a forest dwelling; earthen granaries, clay pots, a small hut; faint aura suggesting supernatural preservation","lighting_mood":"forest dappled","color_palette":["mud brown","charcoal black","pale ochre","forest green","muted copper"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: the speaker seated near overflowing jars of dark food, a vipra standing with kamaṇḍalu and staff; gold-leaf used sparingly to show the uncanny ‘undiminished’ boon as a subtle halo around the jars; rich textile reds contrasted with earthy browns, traditional iconographic framing.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: quiet moral tableau; delicate rendering of clay pots and leaf shadows; the vipra’s attentive posture; subdued palette with fine linework, gentle hillside background, contemplative mood.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized pots and bold outlines; the vipra and speaker with expressive eyes; warm pigment blocks and rhythmic foliage patterns; temple-wall composition emphasizing the paradox.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic composition—endless jars at center with floral borders; the vipra at one side; peacocks and lotuses subdued; deep blue ground with copper-gold accents to suggest supernatural continuity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["rustling leaves","distant owl","clay pot clink","low drone (tanpura-like)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: cādya = ca + adya; nābhyeti = na + abhyeti; tadvipra = tat + vipra; tṛptiścāpi = tṛptiḥ + ca + api; mamottamā = mama + uttamā (vowel sandhi).
FAQs
It states that the speaker’s supply of food will not run out for a hundred years, and that the speaker remains fully satisfied—despite the food being described as ‘kutsita’ (base/impure).
‘Kutsita’ commonly means contemptible, inferior, or impure. In Purāṇic moral contexts it can imply food obtained through blameworthy means or of a degraded quality, contrasted with pure food gained righteously.
The verse addresses a ‘vipra’ (brāhmaṇa), but the speaker’s identity is not explicit in the single shloka provided. The surrounding verses (Adhyaya 36, shlokas 110–115) are needed to attribute the dialogue confidently.