Shloka 23
The Yayāti Episode: Succession and Royal Dharma Instructions to Pūru
प्रजानां वांछितं सर्वमर्पयस्व दिने दिने । प्रजासौख्यं प्रकर्तव्यं प्रजाः पोषय पुत्रक
prajānāṃ vāṃchitaṃ sarvamarpayasva dine dine | prajāsaukhyaṃ prakartavyaṃ prajāḥ poṣaya putraka
ଦିନେ ଦିନେ ପ୍ରଜାମାନେ ଯାହା ଇଚ୍ଛା କରନ୍ତି ସେ ସବୁ ଦିଅ। ପ୍ରଜାସୁଖ ସୁନିଶ୍ଚିତ କରିବା ତୁମ କର୍ତ୍ତବ୍ୟ; ହେ ପୁତ୍ର, ପ୍ରଜାଙ୍କୁ ପୋଷଣ କର।
Unspecified (an elder/teacher-figure addressing a ruler/son)
Concept: The ruler’s dharma is to actively provide for subjects’ legitimate needs and to prioritize collective happiness as a sacred obligation.
Application: In leadership roles—family, workplace, community—practice responsive generosity: listen, provide resources fairly, and measure success by others’ well-being.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"An elder counselor places a reassuring hand on a young prince’s shoulder while pointing toward a bustling marketplace where grain, cloth, and water are distributed fairly. The prince’s face softens into resolve as families smile, symbolizing governance as nourishment rather than domination.","primary_figures":["elder counselor/guru","young prince/king","subjects (farmers, artisans, children)"],"setting":"Palace courtyard opening into a city bazaar with granary doors, water pots, and orderly queues; banners of dharma symbols.","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["saffron","ivory","leaf green","royal blue","terracotta"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: the guru and prince in the foreground with gold leaf halos, richly patterned garments, a stylized granary and distribution scene behind them, ornate archways, embossed gold detailing on jewelry and borders, warm reds and greens dominating with luminous highlights.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate counseling scene with delicate facial expressions, soft architectural lines, a lyrical cityscape with tiny figures receiving gifts, pastel sky, refined textiles, and gentle narrative clarity typical of Himalayan miniatures.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: frontal figures with bold outlines, the guru’s instructive gesture, the prince’s attentive posture, rhythmic rows of subjects, decorative borders, strong reds/yellows/greens with deep blue accents, temple-wall compositional symmetry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a welfare tableau framed by lotus and floral borders, repeated motifs of pots (pūrṇa-kumbha) and grain sheaves, peacocks perched on arches, deep blue ground with gold ornamentation, devotional undertone that equates charity with sacred offering."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["market ambience (soft)","temple bells (distant)","birds","footsteps on stone","gentle drone (tanpura)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सर्वमर्पयस्व = सर्वम् + अर्पयस्व; (दिने दिने) पुनरुक्ति; प्रजासौख्यम् = प्रजा + सौख्यम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष).
FAQs
It frames leadership as daily service: a ruler must prioritize the people’s welfare, provide what is needed, and actively sustain and protect the community.
It implies more than feeding—maintaining, protecting, and enabling prosperity and stability for the subjects through responsible rule.
In rājadharma language, it generally means fulfilling legitimate needs and rightful expectations of subjects, with the overarching duty of ensuring public welfare (prajā-sukha).