Shloka 67
The Five Great Sacrifices: Supremacy of Honoring Parents, Pativrata Dharma, Truthfulness, and Śrāddha
विप्र उवाच । मम देहे क्षुधा नास्ति पिपासाद्य न च श्रमः । अभीष्टं वद कल्याणि नोचेच्छापं ददामि ते
vipra uvāca | mama dehe kṣudhā nāsti pipāsādya na ca śramaḥ | abhīṣṭaṃ vada kalyāṇi nocecchāpaṃ dadāmi te
विप्र उवाच—मम देहे न क्षुधा, न पिपासा, न च श्रमः। कल्याणि, यदभीष्टं तद्वद; नो चेत् ते शापं दास्यामि।
Vipra (Brāhmaṇa)
Concept: Spiritual authority without self-control becomes violence; coercion corrupts dharma.
Application: Do not use power—social, spiritual, or institutional—to force compliance; examine ego when you feel entitled to answers or service.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A stern brāhmaṇa stands rigid, eyes narrowed, his hand raised in a gesture of warning as if summoning the force of a curse. Before him, the woman remains steady and dignified, the air thick with tension—incense smoke curling like a boundary between coercion and dharma.","primary_figures":["brāhmaṇa (vipra)","woman (householder)"],"setting":"Threshold of a home shrine area; ritual items nearby, but the mood is strained; a shadowed corridor behind the woman hints at the inner household.","lighting_mood":"dramatic chiaroscuro","color_palette":["ash gray","dark umber","burnt orange","lamp-gold","muted teal"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: intense confrontation at a household threshold; brāhmaṇa with raised hand and fierce expression, sacred thread visible; woman calm and upright; gold leaf highlights on the lamp and ornaments contrast with dark background, rich reds and browns emphasizing tension.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: controlled drama with refined faces; brāhmaṇa’s sharp gesture and the woman’s composed gaze; cool shadows, minimal props, delicate smoke lines, architectural framing to heighten moral conflict.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, expressive eyes; brāhmaṇa’s krodha shown through angular posture; woman’s serenity through balanced stance; earthy pigments with strong red-black contrast like a cautionary temple panel.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: moral tableau framed by floral borders; central figures in stark contrast—darkened background, gold accents on ritual lamp; lotus motifs subdued, emphasizing the disruption of harmony by anger."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["sudden bell strike","tense silence","low thunder-like drone","incense hiss"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नास्ति = न + अस्ति; नोचेच्छापं = नो + चेत् + शापम् (orthographic coalescence).
FAQs
It highlights the brāhmaṇa’s claimed freedom from bodily needs (hunger, thirst, fatigue) and the social-religious power attributed to ascetics—especially the ability to bless or curse—used here to compel a response.
These are common markers of bodily limitation; denying them implies extraordinary tapas (austerity) or spiritual potency, strengthening the speaker’s authority in the dialogue.
The verse can be read as a caution: spiritual power should be governed by restraint and discernment, since using threats to force compliance can become an ethical misuse of ascetic authority.