Shloka 74
The Glory of Dhātrī (Āmalakī) and Tulasī: Ekādaśī Observance and Protection from Preta States
ईश्वर उवाच । पूर्वं ते ज्ञानलोपाच्च न जानंति हिताहितम् । उच्छिष्टं श्वभिरुत्स्पृष्टं श्लेष्ममूत्रं शकृत्तु वा
īśvara uvāca | pūrvaṃ te jñānalopācca na jānaṃti hitāhitam | ucchiṣṭaṃ śvabhirutspṛṣṭaṃ śleṣmamūtraṃ śakṛttu vā
Īśvara bersabda: Dahulu, kerana pengetahuan mereka terselubung, mereka tidak mengenal yang bermanfaat dan yang memudaratkan—bahkan sisa makanan yang disentuh anjing, kahak, air kencing, atau hingga najis pun mereka anggap boleh diterima.
Īśvara (the Lord)
Concept: When knowledge is obscured, beings lose discernment and accept impurity; spiritual uplift requires restoration of right understanding and purity of conduct.
Application: Cultivate discernment in diet, habits, and company; avoid degrading consumption and normalize cleanliness; seek learning that clarifies wholesome vs unwholesome.
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Īśvara’s presence is felt as a stern, clarifying radiance cutting through a dim, smoky scene where confused beings reach for defiled remnants. The composition contrasts impurity—dark, muddied textures and scattered refuse—with a vertical beam of divine light that restores discernment, turning the listener’s face toward sobriety and reform.","primary_figures":["Īśvara (teaching aspect)","Skanda (listener)","Confused beings (symbolic figures)"],"setting":"A moral allegory space: edge of a settlement near a temple boundary, with a stark contrast between polluted ground and a clean lamp-lit threshold.","lighting_mood":"dramatic chiaroscuro","color_palette":["charcoal black","mud brown","lamp gold","pale ash","saffron"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Īśvara as a teaching presence with gold-leaf aura, Skanda listening, symbolic figures in the lower register reaching toward defiled leftovers, strong contrast between dark ground and radiant sanctum threshold, embossed gold on the divine aura and temple lamps, rich reds and greens framing the moral scene.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: restrained, didactic tableau with delicate lines, muted earthy tones for impurity, a soft but decisive shaft of light around the teacher figure, refined expressions showing shame and awakening, minimal background architecture suggesting a village-temple edge.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, Īśvara’s radiance rendered as patterned aura, symbolic impurity elements stylized rather than graphic, warm red-yellow palette with deep blacks for contrast, Skanda’s attentive posture emphasized, temple-lamp motifs along the border.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: allegorical composition with ornate borders, central divine light motif, lower band showing stylized ‘impurity’ as dark floral tangles rather than realism, upper band with lotus motifs indicating purification, deep blue/black ground with gold highlights and saffron accents."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["heavy silence","single bell strike","low drum","wind hush","distant dog bark (very faint, symbolic)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ज्ञानलोपात् + च → ज्ञानलोपाच्च; श्वभिः + उत्स्पृष्टम् → श्वभिरुत्स्पृष्टम्; श्लेष्म + मूत्रम् → श्लेष्ममूत्रम्; हित + अहितम् → हिताहितम्
FAQs
It teaches that when true knowledge is obscured, people lose moral and practical discernment (hita vs. ahita) and may accept even clearly impure or harmful things as normal.
No. This verse is ethical and didactic, focusing on the consequences of ignorance rather than describing places, rivers, or pilgrimage sites.
The ethical lesson is that right conduct depends on clear knowledge and discrimination; without it, standards collapse and one may normalize contamination and harmful practices.