Shloka 20
Inquiry into Moral Agency (Karma) and Practical Means for the Dissolution of Sin: the Śiśumāra Contemplation
शुभाशुभं नरः प्राप्य कर्माकर्म तथैव च ॥ विवृते विमले कर्मण्यअमरेषु महीयते ॥
śubhāśubhaṃ naraḥ prāpya karmākarma tathaiva ca || vivṛte vimale karmaṇy amareṣu mahīyate ||
नरः शुभाशुभं कर्माकर्म च प्राप्य, विवृते विमले कर्मणि अमरेषु महीयते।
Varāha (default, speaker not explicitly marked in this verse)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":false,"topic":"None","instruction_summary":"None","karmic_consequence":"None"}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics of action (karma)","core_concept":"Though one encounters mixed outcomes (śubha-aśubha) and the tension of action/inaction, it is viśada/manifest and vimala/pure karma that elevates one to an ‘immortal’ (deva-like) status.","practical_application":"Prefer transparent, non-deceptive, non-harming duties; purify motives (no hidden exploitation) so that karma becomes ‘open’ (vivṛta) and ‘clean’ (vimala)."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Karma theory","Merit and post-mortem status"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: vīra
Type: None
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 210.23 (svarga/niraya defined as karmaphala)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A person carrying two bundles labeled śubha and aśubha approaches a radiant gate of the ‘amaras’; the gate opens only when the person offers a clear, spotless act (vimala karma) depicted as a white lotus or flame.","item_prompts":["two bundles/weights (śubha-aśubha)","white lotus/flame (vimala karma)","radiant celestial assembly (amaras)","open gate/door (vivṛta)","aura of purity around hands performing duty"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: celestial court in stylized tiers; the pure act shown as a bright lotus offering; strong contour lines and symbolic labels integrated as decorative script bands.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf celestial gate and haloed devas; the vimala karma lotus rendered with embossed gold highlights.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant palace-like deva-sabha; soft illumination around the offered lotus; restrained ornamentation.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: airy celestial terrace with delicate figures; the moral ‘weight’ shown as small dark stones dropping away as the lotus is offered."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"uplifting, clarifying","suggested_raga":"Shuddha Sarang","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"bright, composed"}
FAQs
It preserves a Purāṇic linkage between purity of conduct and elevated status in cosmological hierarchies (e.g., among devas), a common feature of medieval Sanskrit religio-ethical literature.
No geographic location is identified here.
Purity and transparency of action are presented as ethically elevating, even amid the mixed outcomes of life.