Shloka 66
Annadāna and the Obstruction of Viṣṇu-Darśana; Vāmadeva’s Teaching and the Vāsudeva Stotra Prelude
कर्मैव कारणं राजन्नराणां सुखदुःखयोः । जन्ममृत्य्वोर्महाभाग भुंक्ष्व तत्कर्मणः फलम्
karmaiva kāraṇaṃ rājannarāṇāṃ sukhaduḥkhayoḥ | janmamṛtyvormahābhāga bhuṃkṣva tatkarmaṇaḥ phalam
О царь, одна лишь карма является причиной счастья и страдания людей. О благодатный, в рождении и в смерти тебе надлежит вкусить плод той самой кармы.
Unspecified (context-dependent within Bhūmi-khaṇḍa narrative)
Concept: Karma alone is the cause of happiness and sorrow; one must inevitably experience its fruits across birth and death.
Application: Own consequences without blame; choose sattvic actions; pair duty with devotion—offer actions to Vishnu to reduce binding reactions.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sage stands beside a wheel-like mandala of karma, its spokes labeled with joy and sorrow, birth and death; the king listens with a steadied gaze. In the background, faint scenes of past deeds ripple like reflections—charity, neglect, kindness, cruelty—each returning as consequence.","primary_figures":["teaching sage","king","personified Karma as a subtle cosmic figure (optional)"],"setting":"forest hermitage court with a symbolic dharma-wheel drawn on the ground, sacrificial fire nearby","lighting_mood":"forest dappled","color_palette":["earth brown","leaf green","ash white","sunlit amber","midnight blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: sage instructing king before a radiant karma-cakra mandala, gold leaf highlighting the wheel and fire, rich reds/greens, ornate borders, gem-like accents on the king’s crown, didactic cosmic symbolism rendered in traditional iconography.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: hermitage scene with delicate trees and soft hills, sage calm, king attentive; a stylized wheel motif on the ground, subtle vignettes of deeds in cloud-like panels, cool palette and refined expressions.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines—sage and king in profile, large expressive eyes; karma-wheel as central emblem with flat red/yellow/green pigments, temple-wall clarity, symbolic panels of birth/death around the border.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central dharma-wheel framed by lotus borders; small Vishnu emblem above indicating divine governance; peacocks and cows in border, deep blue ground with gold motifs, intricate floral filigree and narrative medallions of deeds."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"authoritative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["steady tanpura","fire crackle","occasional bell","wind through trees"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: karmaiva = karma eva; rājannarāṇām = rājan narāṇām; janmamṛtyvoḥ = janma-mṛtyvoḥ; tatkarmaṇaḥ = tat-karmaṇaḥ.
FAQs
It teaches that karma (one’s actions) is the decisive cause behind experiences of happiness and sorrow, and that its results must be undergone across the cycle of birth and death.
It emphasizes personal responsibility: outcomes are framed as the fruit (phala) of one’s own deeds, rather than arbitrary fate.
A king should govern and act with dharma because actions inevitably yield consequences; just rule and conduct lead to beneficial results, while harmful deeds bring suffering.