Shloka 87
The Account of Women
Householder Ethics, Fault, Merit, and Govinda-Nāma as Purification
अनाभरणकन्यायाः पादैकस्य फलं भवेत् । यः पुनः शुल्कमश्नाति स याति नरके नरः
anābharaṇakanyāyāḥ pādaikasya phalaṃ bhavet | yaḥ punaḥ śulkamaśnāti sa yāti narake naraḥ
Bagi gadis tanpa perhiasan, hasilnya hanyalah setara satu “kaki” sahaja; tetapi lelaki yang kembali menerima dan menikmati śulka (harga pengantin) akan pergi ke neraka.
Unspecified (verse presented as a general dharma statement within Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa narrative context)
Concept: Treating marriage as a transaction (accepting śulka) is condemned; dharma requires non-exploitative giving and protection of the maiden’s dignity.
Application: Reject practices that commodify people; avoid greed in sacred rites; ensure consent, welfare, and dignity in family decisions.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A stark moral tableau: on one side, an unadorned maiden stands with downcast eyes, while a man counts coins—his face tense with greed. Behind him looms a shadowy vision of Naraka: iron gates, smoky darkness, and stern messengers, making the consequence of śulka-taking unmistakable.","primary_figures":["Unadorned maiden (anābharaṇa-kanyā)","Greedy śulka-taker","Yama-dūtas (visionary)","Yama (distant, implied)"],"setting":"Split scene: village threshold with coins and contract-like gestures, dissolving into a hell-realm with iron gates and smoke","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["charcoal black","rust red","ashen gray","dull copper","cold blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dramatic moral contrast with gold leaf used sparingly—glinting coins and a harsh halo around the warning text; the greedy man in rich but ominous reds; Naraka gate in dark tones with embossed metallic accents; stylized Yama-dūtas with fierce eyes, traditional iconography intensified.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: narrative diptych composition—left a quiet domestic scene with subdued colors, right a dark, smoky Naraka vignette; delicate linework showing the maiden’s sorrow and the man’s avarice; restrained yet piercing moral drama.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, intense facial expressions; Yama-dūtas in stylized fierce forms; strong red-black-yellow contrasts; the maiden rendered with simplified ornaments absent, emphasizing anābharaṇa; hell-gate motifs like temple-wall demon iconography.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: moral allegory framed by floral borders that turn thorny near the Naraka side; deep blues and blacks with copper highlights; central warning scene with symbolic motifs—withered lotus near greed, blooming lotus near dharma—intricate patterning and narrative clarity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["thunder (soft)","iron clang (implied)","conch shell (warning blast)","heavy silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अनाभरणकन्यायाः = अन्(नञ्) + आभरण + कन्यायाः; शुल्कमश्नाति = शुल्कम् + अश्नाति.
FAQs
It condemns taking or enjoying śulka (a bride-price/fee) as morally blameworthy, warning that such conduct leads to hellish consequences.
Literally “eats,” but in this context it functions idiomatically as “accepts/consumes/enjoys (the benefit of)”—i.e., taking the bride-price.
No. This shloka is primarily a dharma-ethical injunction related to marriage transactions rather than a passage about deities or sacred geography.