Shloka 146
Pitṛmātṛtīrtha Greatness & the Discourse on Embodiment: Karma, Birth, Impurity, and Dispassion
तयाभिभूतो म्रियते यथान्यैर्व्याधिभिर्नरः । तद्रसेपि हि किं सौख्यं जिह्वाग्रपरिवर्तिनि
tayābhibhūto mriyate yathānyairvyādhibhirnaraḥ | tadrasepi hi kiṃ saukhyaṃ jihvāgraparivartini
तयाभिभूतो नरः यथान्यैर्व्याधिभिर्म्रियते तथा म्रियते; तद्रसेऽपि किं सौख्यं, जिह्वाग्रपरिवर्तिनि?
Uncertain (context not provided; likely within a Pulastya–Bhīṣma instructional dialogue typical of the Bhūmi-khaṇḍa)
Concept: Hunger can kill like other diseases; even ‘taste’ is momentary, merely flickering on the tongue—therefore do not mistake fleeting sensation for happiness.
Application: When craving arises, pause and observe how brief the taste is; choose a higher habit—chanting, offering food, or fasting with prayer—so the tongue serves devotion rather than compulsion.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A close, symbolic focus on the tongue: a tiny spark of flavor glimmers at its tip and vanishes, while behind the figure a dark wave labeled ‘Kshudha’ rises like an illness. Above, a luminous mantra-like band of ‘Narayana’ letters arcs across the sky, suggesting the tongue’s true fulfillment in divine names rather than fleeting taste.","primary_figures":["symbolic human figure","personified Kshudha (as a dark wave)","mantra-band of Narayana (calligraphic light)"],"setting":"minimal allegorical space—half interior, half cosmic—emphasizing the tongue and the looming hunger","lighting_mood":"divine radiance cutting through darkness","color_palette":["midnight blue","radiant gold","pearl white","crimson accent","smoke gray"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: allegorical portrait with emphasis on the mouth and tongue, a tiny gold-leaf sparkle of taste at the tip, a dark hunger-wave behind, and a radiant Narayana calligraphic arc above; heavy gold leaf for the mantra and halo-like radiance, rich red and green ornamental borders.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined allegory with delicate facial features, a subtle glint on the tongue, a translucent dark wave behind, and pale-gold calligraphy in the sky; cool palette, lyrical minimalism, psychological depth rather than spectacle.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized face and tongue, hunger as a dark curling form, Narayana letters as a bright band; strong reds/yellows/greens with black contours, iconographic clarity and temple-wall symmetry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central figure framed by lotus and vine borders, taste depicted as a tiny jewel-like sparkle, hunger as a dark floral-vine inversion, and a luminous band of divine name above; deep blue ground, gold detailing, intricate floral borders evoking devotional redirection of the tongue."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["conch shell (soft, distant)","tanpura drone","temple bells","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: tayā + abhibhūtaḥ → tayābhibhūtaḥ; yathā + anyaiḥ → yathānyaiḥ; vyādhibhiḥ + naraḥ → vyādhibhirnaraḥ; tad + rase + api → tadrasepi.
FAQs
It compares overpowering desire to a disease that can destroy a person, and calls sensory taste a fleeting, tongue-tip sensation that cannot yield lasting happiness.
Do not mistake momentary sensory gratification for true well-being; cultivate restraint and discernment because craving can become destructive.
Purāṇic teachings often stress vairāgya (dispassion) and mastery of the senses as supports for dharma and devotion; this verse underscores that transient pleasures obstruct enduring spiritual joy.