Shloka 19
Rules of Purity (Shauca) — Rules of Purity (Śauca), Permissible Foods, and the Duties of the Householder and Forest-Dweller
धर्मो ऽस्य मूलं धनमस्य शाखा पुष्पं च कामः फलमस्य मोक्षः असौ सदाचारतरुः सुकेशिन् संसेवितो येन स पुण्यभोक्त
dharmo 'sya mūlaṃ dhanamasya śākhā puṣpaṃ ca kāmaḥ phalamasya mokṣaḥ asau sadācārataruḥ sukeśin saṃsevito yena sa puṇyabhokta
Dharma ialah akar; artha (kekayaan) ialah dahan; kāma ialah bunga; mokṣa ialah buah. Wahai Sukeśin, inilah pohon tata susila; sesiapa yang memelihara dan berkhidmat kepadanya akan menikmati pahala kebajikan.
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
FAQs
The verse integrates the four puruṣārthas into a single ethical hierarchy: dharma must be the foundation; artha and kāma are legitimate only when rooted in dharma; mokṣa is presented as the highest fruition of a life disciplined by sadācāra.
This is not sarga/pratisarga/vamśa/vamśānucarita-manvantara narration; it functions as dharma-upadeśa embedded within the Purāṇic frame. In pancalakṣaṇa terms it is ancillary instruction (upabṛṃhaṇa) rather than a core lakṣaṇa.
The ‘tree’ metaphor makes moral causality organic: dharma as root sustains artha and kāma (branch/flower), while mokṣa is the ripened fruit—implying that liberation is not opposed to worldly life, but is its mature culmination when lived rightly.