Shloka 23
Yayāti’s Summons to Heaven and the Teaching on Old Age, the Five-Element Body, and Self–Body Discernment
पृथिव्यामस्ति को राजा वेदज्ञो ब्राह्मणप्रियः । ब्रह्मण्यो वेदविच्छूरो यज्वा दाता सुभक्तिमान्
pṛthivyāmasti ko rājā vedajño brāhmaṇapriyaḥ | brahmaṇyo vedavicchūro yajvā dātā subhaktimān
Quem, na terra, é esse rei—conhecedor dos Vedas, querido dos brāhmaṇas; guardião da lei sagrada, radiante de sabedoria védica; realizador de yajñas, doador generoso e dotado de excelente devoção?
Unspecified (contextual speaker not provided in the input; verse reads as a rhetorical inquiry/praise)
Concept: The ideal king is defined by Vedic learning, Brahmin-support, yajña, dāna, and bhakti—royal power is validated by dharma and devotion rather than conquest alone.
Application: Cultivate ‘kingly’ virtues in ordinary life: protect learning and teachers, give regularly, keep vows/truth, and let devotion guide status and success.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: city
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A courtly hall opens onto the vast earth, as a herald-like sage poses a luminous question about the perfect king. The king’s silhouette is suggested through symbols—Vedic manuscripts, a sacrificial altar’s smoke, and heaps of gifts—while the assembly listens in hushed wonder.","primary_figures":["ideal dhārmic king (archetypal)","court brāhmaṇas","a questioning sage/narrator figure"],"setting":"royal sabhā with a yajña-vedī visible in the courtyard; gift-pavilions stacked with cloth, gold, and cow-garlands","lighting_mood":"temple lamp-lit","color_palette":["gold leaf","lotus pink","sandalwood beige","emerald green","deep indigo"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: an ideal Vedic king seated on a jeweled throne, brāhmaṇas holding palm-leaf Vedas and ladles for yajña, a small sacrificial fire altar in the foreground with curling incense-like smoke, heaps of dāna gifts and cow-garlands, ornate arch and halo effects, gold leaf embellishment, rich reds and greens, gem-studded ornaments, traditional South Indian iconography and symmetrical composition.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a refined royal court scene with delicate brushwork, the sage raising a hand in rhetorical inquiry, the king modestly attentive, a yajña-altar and attendants in the background, lyrical naturalism with soft textiles and patterned carpets, cool palette accents and fine facial features, distant hills and a pale sky beyond palace balconies.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines, the king and brāhmaṇas in frontal clarity, stylized yajña fire with rhythmic flames, temple-wall aesthetic with natural pigments, characteristic large eyes, dominant red/yellow/green palette, ornamental borders with lotus and conch motifs suggesting Vaishnava devotion.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a devotional court tableau framed by intricate floral borders and lotus motifs, symbolic presence of Vishnu through conch and discus emblems above the assembly, cows as auspicious dāna arranged in patterned rows, deep blues and gold, Nathdwara-like ornamentation and dense decorative detailing."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["temple bells","soft conch shell","murmur of court assembly","crackling sacrificial fire"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पृथिव्यामस्ति = पृथिव्याम् + अस्ति; वेदविच्छूरो = वेदवित् + शूरः (त् + श् → च्छ्); (अन्यत्र) ब्राह्मणप्रियः is a compound; no external sandhi.
FAQs
Vedic knowledge, support of Brahmins and dharma, heroic excellence, performance of sacrifices, generosity (dāna), and sincere devotion (bhakti).
Not in the provided line; it asks “who is that king?” as a laudatory inquiry, likely introducing a named ruler in adjacent verses.
Legitimate kingship is portrayed as grounded in learning, righteous protection of sacred order, public beneficence through giving, and inner devotion—not merely power.